Looking  up  the  Bright  Angel  Trail. 

This  is  one  of  the  modem  trails  into  the  Grand  Canyon,  which  at  this  point  is  some  6000  feet  deep. 
From  water-colour  sketch  by  Tho.mas  Moran,  N.A. 


The  Romance 


OF 


The  Colorado  River 


The  Story  of  its  Discovery  in  1 540,  with  an  Account 
of  the  Later  Explorations,  and  with  Special  Ref- 
erence to  the  Voyages  of  Powell  through 
the    Line   of  the   Great  Canyons 

/    < 


By 


Frederick   S.  Dellenbaugh 

Member   of  the    United   States    Colorado   River   Expedition   of 

1871    and    1872 


"  No  sluggish  tide  congenial  to  the  glooms  : 
This,  as  it  frothed  by,  might  have  been  a  bath 
For  the  fiend's  glowing  hoof — " 

Browning 

third  edition 


G.  P.  Putnam's  Sons 

New  York   and   London 
Ube  Iknicl^erbocker  press 

1909 


Y 


Copyright,  1902 

BY 

FREDERICK  S.  DELLENBAUGH 


Published,  November,  1902 

Reprinted,  March,  1903  ;    September,  1904  : 

December,  1906  ;  May,  1909 


"Cbc  Tknicfcerbocfecr  iPrcBs,  "Rcw  Uerh 


Geology 
Library; 

F 

78'? 

33^ 


TO 

MY    FRIENDS    AND   COMRADES 

OF   THE 

COLORADO   RIVER    EXPEDITION   OF    187I    AND    1872 

IN    GRATEFUL    REMEMBRANCE 


The  Ancient  Ruin  on  tlie  Clill. 
Glen  Canyon. 
Photograph  by  J.  Fennemore,  U.  S.  Colo.  Riv.  Exp. 


• 


■-■.-■■    -  -  ■  '"■  '"■'  ■""  '■"'"■' ■'■■■'■'■^'■s^ 


*^5 

>*#*•! 


(/y^y'^y-yy-yy-y-y^^y'yC^y'yiC^^^yyyC^^^^ 


PREFACE 

EARLY  in  1871,  when  Major  Powell '  was  preparing  for  his 
second  descent  through  the  canyons  of  the  Green  and 
Colorado  rivers,  he  was  besieged  by  men  eager  to  accompany 
him ;  some  even  offered  to  pay  well  for  the  privilege.  It  was 
for  me,  therefore,  a  piece  of  great  good  fortune  when,  after  an 
interview  in  Chicago  with  the  eminent  explorer,  he  decided  to 
add  me  to  his  small  party.  I  was  very  young  at  the  time,  but 
muscular  and  healthy,  and  familiar  with  the  handling  of  small 
boats.  The  Major  remarked  that  in  the  business  before  us  it 
was  not  so  much  age  and  strength  that  were  needed  as  "nerve," 
and  he  evidently  believed  I  had  enough  of  this  to  carry  me 
through.  Certainly  in  the  two-years,  continuous  work  on  the 
river  and  in  the  adjacent  country  I  had  some  opportunity  to 
develop  this  desirable  quality.  I  shall  never  cease  to  feel  grate- 
ful to  him  for  the  confidence  reposed  in  me.  It  gave  me  one 
of  the  unique  experiences  of  my  life, — an  experience  which,  on 
exactly  the  same  lines,  can  never  be  repeated  within  our  bor- 
ders. Now,  these  thirty  years  after,  I  review  that  experience 
with  satisfaction  and  pleasure,  recalling,  with  deep  affection, 
the  kind  and  generous  companions  of  that  wild  and  memorable 
journey.  No  party  of  men  thrown  together,  without  external 
contact  for  months  at  a  time,  could  have  been  more  harmoni- 
ous ;  and  never  once  did  any  member  of  that  party  show  the 
white  feather.  I  desire  to  acknowledge  here,  also,  my  indebt- 
edness to  Prof,  A.  H.  Thompson,  Major  Powell's  associate  in 
his  second  expedition,  for  many  kindnesses. 

When  his  report  to  Congress  was  published.  Major  Powell, 

*  I  use  the  title  Major  for  the  reason  that  he  was  so  widely  known  for  so  long 

a  period  by  it.     He  was  a  volunteer  officer  during  the  Civil  War,  holding  the  rank 

of  Colonel  at  the  end.     The  title  Major,  then,  has  no  military  significance  in  this 

ccunnection. 


vi  Powell's  Report 

perhaps  for  the  sake  of  dramatic  unity,  concluded  to  omit 
mention  of  the  personnel  of  the  second  expedition,  awarding^ 
credit,  for  all  that  was  accomplished,  to  the  men  of  his  first 
wonderful  voyage  of  1869.  And  these  men  surely  deserved  all 
that  could  be  bestowed  on  them.  They  had,  under  the  Major's 
clear-sighted  guidance  and  cool  judgment,  performed  one  of 
the  distinguished  feats  of  history.  They  had  faced  unknown 
dangers.  They  had  determined  that  the  forbidding  torrent 
could  be  mastered.  But  it  has  always  seemed  to  me  that  the 
men  of  the  second  party,  who  made  the  same  journey,  who 
mapped  and  explored  the  river  and  much  of  the  country  round- 
about, doing  a  large  amount  of  difficult  work  in  the  scientific 
line,  should  have  been  accorded  some  recognition.  The  ab- 
sence of  this  has  sometimes  been  embarrassing  for  the  reason 
that  when  statements  of  members  of  the  second  party  were  re- 
ferred to  the  official  report,  their  names  were  found  missing" 
from  the  list.  This  inclined  to  produce  an  unfavourable  im- 
pression concerning  these  individuals.  In  order  to  provide  in 
my  own  case  against  any  unpleasant  circumstance  owing  to 
this  omission,  I  wrote  to  Major  Powell  on  the  subject  and  re- 
ceived the  following  highly  satisfactory  answer: 

Washington,  D.  C,  January  18,  1888. 
My  dear  Dellenbaugh  : 

Replying  to  your  note  of  the  T4th  instant,  it  gives  me  great 
pleasure  to  state  that  you  were  a  member  of  my  second  party  of  ex- 
ploration down  the  Colorado,  during  the  years  1871  and  1872,  that 
you  occupied  a  place  in  my  own  boat  and  rendered  valuable  ser- 
vices to  the  expedition,  and  that  it  was  with  regret  on  my  part  that 
your  connection  with  the  Survey  ceased. 

Yours  cordially, 

J.  W.  Powell. 

Recently,  when  I  informed  him  of  my  intention  to  publish  this 
volume,  he  very  kindly  wrote  as  follows : 

Washington,  January  6,  1902. 
Dear  Dellenbaugh  : 

I  am  pleased  to  hear  that  you  are  engaged  in  writing  a  book  on 
the  Colorado  Canyon.     I  hope  that  you  will  put  on  record  the  second 


White's  Story  vii 

trip,  and  the  gentlemen  who  were  members  of  that  expedition.  No 
other  trip  has  been  made  since  that  time,  though  many  have  tried 
to  follow  us.  One  party,  that  headed  by  Mr.  Stanton,  went  through 
the  Grand  Canyon  on  its  second  attempt,  but  many  persons  have 
lost  their  lives  in  attempting  to  follow  us  through  the  whole  length 
of  the  canyons.  I  shall  be  very  glad  to  write  a  short  introduction 
to  your  book.  Yours  cordially, 

J.  W.  Powell. 

In  complying  with  this  request  to  put  on  record  the  second  ex- 
pedition and  the  gentlemen  who  composed  it,  I  feel  all  the 
greater  pleasure,  because,  at  the  same  time,  I  seem  to  be  fulfill- 
ing a  duty  towards  my  old  comrades. 

The  reader  is  referred  to  Chapter  XIV.,  and  to  pages  368-9 
for  later  data  on  descents.  Notwithstanding  these  the  can- 
yons remain  almost  terra  incognita  for  each  new  navigator. 
There  have  been  some  who  appear  to  be  inclined  to  withhold 
from  Major  Powell  the  full  credit  which  is  his  for  solving  the 
great  problem  of  the  Southwest,  and  who,  therefore,  make 
much  of  the  flimsy  story  of  White,  and  even  assume  on  faint 
evidence  that  others  fathomed  the  mystery  even  before  White. 
There  is,  in  my  opinion,  no  ground  for  such  assumptions. 
Several  trappers,  like  Pattie  and  Carson,  had  gained  a  consid- 
erable knowledge  of  the  general  course  and  character  of  the 
river  as  early  as  1830,  but  to  Major  Powell  and  his  two  parties 
undoubtedly  belongs  the  high  honour  of  being  the  first  to  ex- 
plore and  explain  the  truth  about  it  and  its  extraordinary 
canyon  environment. 

If  danger,  difficulty,  and  disaster  mean  romance,  then  as- 
suredly the  Colorado  of  the  West  is  entitled  to  first  rank,  for 
seldom  has  any  human  being  touched  its  borderland  even, 
without  some  bitter  or  fatal  experience.  Never  is  the  Col- 
orado twice  alike,  and  each  new  experience  is  different  from 
the  last.  Once  acknowledge  this  and  the  dangers,  however, 
and  approach  it  in  a  humble  and  reverent  spirit,  albeit  firmly, 
and  death  need  seldom  be  the  penalty  of  a  voyage  on  its  rest- 
less waters. 

I  have  endeavoured  to  present  the  history  of  the  river,  and 


viii  The  Real  Pioneers 

immediate  environment,  so  far  as  I  have  been  able  to  learn  it, 
but  within  the  limits  of  a  single  volume  of  this  size  much  must 
necessarily  be  omitted.  Reference  to  the  admirable  works  of 
Powell,  Gilbert,  and  Dutton  will  give  the  reader  full  infor- 
mation concerning  the  geology  and  topography;  Garas,  by 
Elliott  Coues,  gives  the  story  of  the  friars;  and  the  excellent 
memoir  of  Chittenden,  The  American  Fur  Trade  of  the  Far 
West,  will  give  a  complete  understanding  of  the  travels  and 
•exploits  of  the  real  pioneers  of  the  Rocky  Mountain  country. 
I  differ  with  this  author,  however,  as  to  the  wise  and  com- 
mendable nature  of  the  early  trappers'  dealings  with  the  na- 
tives, and  this  will  be  explained  in  the  pages  on  that  subject. 
He  also  says  in  his  preface  that  "no  feature  of  western 
geography  was  ever  discovered  by  government  explorers  after 
1840."  While  this  is  correct  in  the  main,  it  gives  an  erro- 
neous impression  so  far  as  the  canyons  of  the  Colorado  are 
concerned.  These  canyons  were  "discovered,"  as  mentioned 
above,  by  some  of  the  trappers,  but  their  interior  character  was 
not  known,  except  in  the  vaguest  way,  so  that  the  discovery 
was  much  like  discovering  a  range  of  mountains  on  the  horizon 
and  not  entering  beyond  the  foothills. 

For  the  titles  of  works  of  reference,  of  the  narratives  of 
trappers,  etc.,  I  refer  to  the  works  of  H.  H.  Bancroft ;  to  War- 
ren's Memoirs,  vol.  i.  Pacific  Railroad  reports;  and  to  the  first 
volume  of  Lieut.  Geo.  M.  Wheeler's  report  on  Explorations 
West  of  the  looth  Meridian.  The  trappers  and  prospectors 
who  had  some  experience  on  the  Green  and  the  Colorado 
have  left  either  no  records  or  very  incomplete  ones.  It  seems 
tolerably  certain,  however,  that  no  experience  of  importance 
has  escaped  notice.  So  far  as  attempts  at  descent  are  con- 
cerned, they  invariably  met  with  speedy  disaster  and  were 
given  up. 

In  writing  the  Spanish  and  other  foreign  proper  names  I 
have  in  no  case  translated,  because  such  translations  result  in 
needless  confusion.  To  translate  "Rio  del  Tizon  "  as  Fire- 
brand River  is  making  another  name  of  it.  Few  would  recog- 
nise the  Colorado  River  under  the  title  of  Red  River,  as  used, 
for  example,  in  Pattie's  narrative.     While  Colorado  means  red, 


As  to  Translations  ix 

it  is  quite  another  matter  as  a  Jiainc.  Nor  do  I  approve  of 
hyphenating  native  words,  as  is  so  frequently  done.  It  is  no 
easier  to  understand  Mis-sis-sip-pi  than  Mississippi.  My 
thanks  are  due  to  Mr.  Thomas  Moran,  the  distinguished 
painter,  for  the  admirable  sketch  from  nature  he  has  so  kindly 
permitted  a  reproduction  of  for  a  frontispiece.  Mr.  Moran 
has  been  identified  as  a  painter  of  the  Grand  Canyon  ever  since 
1 873)  when  he  went  there  with  one  of  Powell's  parties  and 
made  sketches  from  the  end  of  the  Kaibab  Plateau  which  after- 
wards resulted  in  the  splendid  picture  of  the  Grand  Canyon 
now  owned  by  the  Government. 

I  am  indebted  to  Prof.  A.  H.  Thompson  for  the  use  of 
his  river  diary  as  a  check  upon  my  own,  and  also  for  many 
photographs  now  difficult  to  obtain ;  and  to  Dr.  G.  K.  Gilbert, 
Mr.  E.  E.  Howell,  Dr.  T.  Mitchell  Prudden,  and  Mr.  Delancy 
Gill  for  the  use  of  special  photographs.  Other  debts  in  this 
line  I  acknowledge  in  each  instance  and  hence  will  not  repeat 
here.  I  had  hoped  to  have  an  opportunity  of  again  reading 
over  the  diary  which  "Jack  "  Sumner  kept  on  the  first  Powell 
expedition,  and  which  I  have  not  seen  since  the  time  of  the 
second  expedition,  but  the  serious  illness  of  Major  Powell 
prevented  my  requesting  the  use  of  it. 

F.  S.  Dellenbaugh. 

New  York,  October,  1902. 

Note. — Since  the  last  edition  of  this  work  was  published,  the  inquiries  of  Mr. 
Robert  Brewster  Stanton  have  brought  to  light  among  some  forgotten  papers  of 
Major  Powell's  at  the  Bureau  of  Ethnology  in  Washington  the  diary  of  Jack  Sumner 
and  also  that  of  Major  Powell  himself.  Both  begin  at  the  mouth  of  the  Uinta 
River. 

Major  Powell,  because  of  his  one-armed  condition,  had  the  only  life-preserver. 
The  preserver  was  rubber  of  the  inflating  type  and  is  in  the  Smithsonian  Institution^ 
presented  by  Mr.  Stanton  who  obtained  it  from  one  of  the  survivors  in  I907. 


o    •£ 


NOTE    ON    THE    AUTHOR'S    ITINERARY    IN    THE 

BASIN    OF   THE   COLORADO    RIVER   AND 

ADJACENT    TERRITORY 

(Except  where  otherwise  stated  journeys  were  on  horseback.) 

1 87 1 — By  boat  from  the  Union  Pacific  Railway  crossing  of 
Green  River,  down  the  Green  and  Colorado  to  the  mouth  of 
the  Paria,  Lee's  Ferry.  Numerous  side  trips  on  foot.  Lee's 
Ferry  to  House  Rock  Valley,  and  across  north  end  of  the 
Kaibab  Plateau  to  the  village  of  Kanab. 

1872 — Kanab  to  House  Rock  Valley  and  Paria  Plateau. 
To  Kanab.  To  southern  part  of  Kaibab  Plateau.  To  Kanab 
via  Shinumo  Canyon  and  Kanab  Canyon.  To  Pipe  Spring. 
To  the  Uinkaret  Mountains  and  the  Grand  Canyon  at  the  foot 
of  the  Toroweap  Valley.  To  Berry  Spring  near  St.  George, 
along  the  edge  of  the  Hurricane  Ledge.  To  the  Uinkaret 
Mountains  via  Diamond  Butte.  To  the  bottom  of  the  Grand 
Canyon  at  the  foot  of  the  Toroweap.  To  Berry  Spring  via 
Diamond  Butte  and  along  the  foot  of  the  Hurricane  Ledge. 
To  St.  George.  To  the  Virgen  Mountains  and  summit  of  Mt. 
Bangs.  To  Kanab  via  St.  George.  To  the  Aquarius  Plateau 
via  Potato  Valley.  To  and  across  the  Henry  Mountains.  To 
the  Colorado  at  the  mouth  of  Fremont  River.  By  boat  to  the 
mouth  of  the  Paria.  To  Kanab  and  return  across  the  Kaibab. 
By  boat  down  the  Colorado  to  the  mouth  of  the  Kanab.  To 
Kanab  via  the  Kanab  Canyon.  To  the  Uinkaret  Mountains. 
To  Kanab  via  Pipe  Spring. 

1873 — To  Salt  Lake  City,  via  Long  Valley  and  the  Sevier 
River. 

1875 — To  terminus  of  Utah  Southern  Railway,  about  at 
Spanish  Forks,  by  rail.     To  Kanab  via  Sevier  River  and  Upper 


xii  Note  on  the  Author's  Itinerary 

Kanab.  To  the  Kaibab  Plateau,  De  Motte  Park,  and  the  rim 
of  the  Grand  Canyon.  To  the  bottom  of  the  Grand  Canyon 
via  Shinumo  and  Kanab  Canyons.  To  Kanab  via  Kanab 
Canyon.  To  the  Uinkaret  Mountains  via  Pipe  Spring  and 
the  Wild  Band  Pockets.  To  the  Grand  Canyon  at  the  foot  of 
the  Toroweap. 

1876 — To  St.  George  across  the  Uinkaret  Plateau.  To  Las 
Vegas,  Nevada,  via  Beaver  Dam,  Virgen  River,  the  Muddy, 
and  the  desert.  To  St.  George,  by  the  desert  and  the  old  "St. 
Joe"  road  across  the  Beaver  Dam  Mountains.  To  the  rim 
of  the  Grand  Canyon,  via  Hidden  Spring,  the  Copper  Mine, 
and  Mt.  Dellenbaugh.  To  a  red  paint  cave  on  the  side  of  the 
canyon,  about  twenty-five  hundred  feet  down.  To  St.  George 
via  same  route.  To  Ivanpah,  California,  via  the  old  desert 
road,  the  Muddy,  Las  Vegas,  and  Good  Spring.  To  St. 
George  via  same  route.  To  Kanab  via  Short  Creek  and  Pipe 
Spring.  To  the  Uinkaret  Mountains  via  Pipe  Spring  and 
Antelope  Valley.  Across  to  the  Shewits  Plateau  and  to  Am- 
bush Waterpocket  south  of  Mt.  Dellenbaugh.*  To  the  bottom 
of  the  Grand  Canyon  on  the  east  side  of  the  Shewits  Plateau. 
To  St.  George  via  Mt.  Dellenbaugh  and  Hidden  Spring.  To 
Kanab  via  Berry  Spring  and  Pipe  Spring.  To  Salt  Lake  City 
via  Upper  Kanab  and  the  Sevier  Valley. 

1884-5 — By  rail  to  Ft.  Wingate,  New  Mexico.  By  rail  to 
Flagstaff.  To  Flagstaff  via  circuit  of,  and  summit  of,  San 
Francisco  Mountain  and  the  Turkey  Tanks.  By  rail  to  the 
Needles,  California.  By  rail  to  Manuelito,  New  Mexico.  To 
Ft.  Defiance.  By  buckboard  to  Keam's  Canyon.  To  the 
East  Mesa  of  the  Moki.  To  Keam's  Canyon.  By  buckboard 
via  Pueblo,  Colorado,  to  Ft.  Defiance.  To  the  San  Juan 
River  at  the  "Four  Corners,"  via  Lukachukai  Pass  and  the 
summit  of  the  Carisso  Mountains.  To  Ft.  Defiance  via  the 
crest  of  the  Tunicha  Plateau.  By  buckboard  to  Keam's  and 
to  the  East  Mesa  of  the  Moki.     To  Mishongnuvi  and  back. 

'  This  waterpocket,  which  is  a  very  large  one,  has,  so  far  as  I  am  aware,  never 
had  an  English  name  and  I  do  not  know  the  Amerind  one.  I  have  called  it 
"  Ambush"  because  it  was  the  place  where  three  of  Powell's  men  were  shot  by 
the  Shewits  in  1869.    See  also  pp.  229-30. 


Note  on  the  Author's  Itinerary  xiii 

By  waggon  to  Keam's.  To  Oraibe  z/z^  Tewa.  To  Keam's  ^7^ 
Shimopavi  and  Tewa.     To  Holbrook  by  buckboard. 

1899 — By  rail  west  across  Green  River  Valley.  By  rail 
down  Price  River,  east  across  Gunnison  Valley,  up  Grand 
River,  and  over  the  Continental  Divide. 

1903 — By  rail  to  Salt  Lake.  By  rail  to  Modena.  By  horse 
up  the  Virgen  River  to  the  narrows  of  Mukoontuweap.  Thence 
via  Rockville  and  Short  Creek  to  Pipe  Springs  and  Kanab. 
Thence  to  De  Motte  Park,  Bright  Angel  Spring,  and  Greenland 
Point  at  the  Grand  Canyon  on  the  Kaibab  Plateau.  Thence 
to  Kanab,  Panquitch,  and  Marysvale.  Thence  by  rail  to  Salt 
Lake. 

1907 — By  rail  to  Grand  Canyon,  Arizona.  By  horse  to  Bass 
Camp,  to  the  bottom  of  the  Grand  Canyon,  opposite  Shinumo 
Creek,  to  Habasu  Canyon,  to  Grand  Canyon  Station,  and  to 
Grand  View.     By  rail  to  the  Needles.    ' 


i 


s   5 


«  -= 


^'  V 


CONTENTS 


CHAPTER  I 

PACK 

The  Secret  of  the  Gulf — Ulloa,  1539,  One  of  the  Captains  of  Cortes,  Ahnost 
Solves  it,  but  Turns  Back  without  Discovering — Alarfon,  1540,  Con- 
quers     .............         I 

CHAPTER  II 

The  Unknown  River — Alar9on  Ascends  it  Eighty-five  Leagues  and  Names 
it  the  Rio  de  Buena  Guia — Melchior  Diaz  Arrives  at  its  Banks  Later 
and  Calls  it  the  Rio  del  Tizon — Cardenas  Discovers  the  Grand  Canyon.       17 

CHAPTER  III 

The  Grand  Canyon — Character  of  the  Colorado  River — The  Water-Gods  ; 
Erosion  and  Corrasion — The  Natives  and  their  Highways — The  "  Green 
River  Valley"  of  the  Old  Trappers — The  Strange  Vegetation  and  Some 
Singular  Animals  ...........       36 

CHAPTER  IV 

Onate,  1604,  Crosses  Arizona  to  the  Colorado — A  Remarkable  Ancient  Ruin 
Discovered  by  Padre  Kino,  1694 — Padre  Garces  Sees  the  Grand  Canyon 
and  Visits  Oraibi,  1776 — The  Great  Entrada  of  Padre  Escalante  across 
Green  River  to  Utah  Lake,  1776 — Death  of  Garces  Ends  the  Entrada 
Period,  17S1 76 


CHAPTER  V 

Breaking  the  Wilderness — Wanderings  of  the  Trappers  and  Fur  Traders — 
General  Ashley  in  Green  River  Valley,  1824 — Pattie  along  the  Grand 
Canyon,  1826 — Lieutenant  Hardy,  R.N.,  in  a  Schooner  on  the  Lower 
Colorado,  1826 — Jedediah  Smith,  Salt  Lake  to  San  Gabriel,  1S26 — Pattie 
on  the  Lower  Colorado  in  Canoes,  1827-2S  ...... 

CHAPTER  VI 


106 


Fremont,  the  Pathfinder — Ownership  of  the  Colorado — The  Road  of  the 
Gold  Seekers — First  United  States  Military  Post,  1S49 — Steam  Naviga- 
tion— Captain  Johnson  Goes  to  the  Head  of  Black  Canyon    .         .         .     133 


xvi  Contents 

CHAPTER  VII 


PAGE- 


Lieutenant  Ives  Explores  to  Fortification  Rock — By  Trail  to  Diamond  Creek, 
Havasupai  Canyon,  and  the  Moki  Towns — Macomb  Fails  in  an  At- 
tempt to  Reach  the  Mouth  of  Grand  River — James  White's  Masterful 
Fabrication    .         .         .         .         .         .         .         .         .         .         .         .     156- 

CHAPTER  VIII 

The  One-armed  Knight — A  Bold  Attack  on  the  Canyons — Powell  and  His 
Men — The  Wonderful  Voyage — Mighty  Walls  and  Roaring  Rapids — 
Capsizes  and  Catastrophes     .         .         .         .         .         .         .         .         .     1S4. 

CHAPTER  IX 

A  Canyon  of  Cataracts — The  Imperial  Chasm — Short  Rations — A  Split  in 
the  Party — Separation — Fate  of  the  Howlands  and  Dunn — The  Mon- 
ster Vanquished     ...........      209- 

CHAPTER  X 

Powell's  Second  Attack  on  the  Colorado — Green  River  City — Red  Canyon 
and  a  Capsize — The  Grave  of  Hook — The  Gate  of  Lodore — Cliff  of 
the  Harp— Triplet  Falls  and  Hell's  Half-Mile— A  Rest  in  Echo  Park  .     233, 

CHAPTER  XI 

An  Island  Park  and  a  Split  Mountain — The  White  River  Runaways — 
Powell  Goes  to  Salt  Lake — Failure  to  Get  Rations  to  the  Dirty  Devil 
— On  the  Rocks  in  Desolation — Natural  Windows — An  Ancient  House 
— On  the  Back  of  the  Dragon  at  Last — Cataracts  and  Cataracts  in  the 
Wonderful  Cataract  Canyon — A  Lost  Pack-Train — Naming  the  Echo 
Peaks     .............     259. 

CHAPTER  XII 

Into  the  Jaws  of  the  Dragon — A  Useless  Experiment — Wheeler  Reaches 
Diamond  Creek  Going  Up-stream— The  Hurricane  Ledge — .Something 
about  Names — A  Trip  from  Kanab  through  Unknown  Country  to  the 
Mouth  of  the  Dirty  Devil 294. 

CHAPTER   XIII 

A  Canyon  through  Marble — Multitudinous  Rapids — Running  the  Sock- 
dologer — A  Difficult  Portage,  Rising  Water,  and  a  Trap — The  Dean 
Upside  Down — A  Close  Shave — Whirlpools  and  Fountains — The  Kanab 
Canyon  and  the  End  of  the  Voyage        .......     317 


Contents 


XVll 


CHAPTER  XIV 

PAGE 

Railway  Proposed  through  the  Canyons — The  Brown  Party,  1889,  Under- 
takes the  Survey — Frail  Boats  and  Disasters — The  Dragon  Claims  Three 
— Collapse  of  the  Expedition — Stanton  Tries  the  Feat  Again,  1889-90 
— A  Fall  and  a  Broken  Leg — Success  of  Stanton — The   Dragon  Still 
Untrammelled        ...........     342 

Epilogue 371 

Appendix 387 

Index 391 


Tapeets  Creek. 

Character  of  some  of  the  tributary  valleys  of  the  north  side  of 

the  Grand  Canyon  through  the  Kaibab  section.     The 

extreme  height  of  the  north  wall  is  seen  in  the 

distance.     A  considerable  valley  intervenes 

between  it  and  the  river. 

Photograph  by  J.  K.  Hillers,  U.  S.  Colo.  Riv.  Exp. 


ILLUSTRATIONS 

Looking  up  the  Bright  Angel  Trail         .         Frontispiece 
This  is  one  of  the  modern  trails  into  the  Grand  Canyon,  which  at  this 

point  is  some  6000  feet  deep. 
From  water-colour  sketch  by  Thomas  Moran,  N.A. 

The  Ancient  Ruin  on  the  Cliff      ..... 

Glen  Canyon. 

Photograph  by  J.  Fennemore,  U.  S.  Colo.  Riv.  Exp. 

Map  Showing  Relations  of  the  Canyons  of  the  Green 
AND  Colorado  to  the  Surrounding  Country  {facing) 

"  Hardy's     Colorado," — a    Flood    River,    at    Base    of 
CocoPA  Mountains        ....... 

Between  the  camp  and  the  base  of  the  slope  runs  the  old  Indian  trail. 
See  map  facing  page  12. 

On  the  Colorado  River  Six  Miles  above  Picacho     . 

Photograph  by  Arthur  P.  Davis. 

Tapeets  Creek     . 

Photograph  by  J.  K.  Hillers,  U.  S.  Colo.  Riv.  Exp. 

Looking  into  the  First  Granite  Gorge    ...  > 

Grand  Canyon  foot  of  Bright  Angel  Trail.     Canyon  300  miles  long. 

River  1000  feet  below  point  of  view.     Total  depth  between  5000 

and  6000  feet. 
Photograph  by  Hall. 

In  Glen  Canyon  ......... 

Walls  of  homogeneous  sandstone. 

Photograph  by  J.  Fennemore,  U.  S.  Colo.  Riv.  Exp. 

Active  Mud  Volcanoes 

Near  Cocopa  Mountains  and  Volcano  Lake,  Lower  Colorado  Rirer. 
Cerro  Prieto,  the  largest  of  the  group,  seen  in  the  distance,  is 
now  quiet.     See  map  of  the  delta  facing  page  12. 

Photograph  by  D.  T.  MacDougal. 

The  Inner  Gorge  of  the  Grand  Canyon  at  the  Foot  of 
Toroweap        ......... 

Depth  from  point  of  view  about  3000  feet.     Total   depth  about  4500 

feet.     Width  about  3500  feet  from  brink  to  brink. 
Negative  20x24  by  J.  K.  Hillers,  U.  S.  Geol.  Survey. 


XX  Illustrations 


PAGE 


House  Ruins  on  Cliff  of  Glen  Canyon     ....         6 

There  were  habitations  also  under  the  heavy  top  ledge. 
Photograph  by  J.  Fennemore,  U.  S.  Geol.  Survey. 

Wvtfliet-Ptolemy  Map  of  1597  .          ....         9 

From  Bancroft's  History  of  Arizona  and  Ne'u  Mexico. 

The  Lower  Colorado  at  the  "  Line  Mesa  "  .         .       10 

Photograph  by  D.  T.  MacDougal. 

Western  Part  United  States  .....       12 

Relief  Map  by  E.  E.  Howell. 
Map  OF  THE  Colorado  River  Delta  .         .     {facing')       12 

•Gulf  of  California  at  the  Mouth  of  the  Colorado       .       13 
Photograph  by  Delancy  Gill. 

Alar^on's   Ships  Struggling  with  the  Great  Bore  of 

the  Colorado — 1540     .......       15 

Drawing  by  F.  S.  Dellenbaugh. 

Native  Ladies  of  the  Lower  Colorado     ....       18 

Freaks  of  Erosion       .         .         .         .         .         .         .         -19 

•One  of  the  Cocopa  Giants.     Height,  6  feet  4  inches      .       20 
The  costume  in  early  days  was  "  nothing."' 
Photograph  by  Delancy  Gill. 

KOMOHOATS   ..........  21 

A  Pai  Ute  boy,  S.  W.  Nevada. 

Photograph  by  J.  K.  Hillers,  U.  S.  Geol.  Survey. 

Professor  McGee  and  a  Group  of  Cocopas        ...       24 

Originally  the  Cocopas  wore  no  clothing. 
Photograph  by  Delancy  Gill. 

The  Colorado  at  the  Junction  of  the  Gila  ...   26 

Looking  up  stream,  Gila  right  hand  lower  corner.     Colorado  about  500 

yards  wide. 
Photograph  by  Delancy  Gill. 

An  Arizona  Landscape        .......       29 

There  are  Navajo  Gardens  at  the  bottom  of  this  canyon. 
Photograph  by  E.  O.  Beaman. 

Cocopa  Tule  Raft       ........       30 

Photograph  by  Delancy  Gill. 


Illustrations  xxi 


PACE 


The  Grand  Canyon  from  Bright  Angel  Hotel        .         .       33 

Twelve  miles  to  opposite  rim.      Total   depth  here  between   5000  and 

6000  feet. 
Photograph  by  Hall. 

The  Grand-Marble  Canyon  Region  •         ....       37 

Scale  about  30  miles  to  the  inch.  This  is  not  as  accurate  as  the  map 
opposite  page  41,  but  is  given  as  an  aid  to  the  understanding  of 
that.     Compare  also  map  on  page  12. 

The  Work  of  Erosion  .......       38 

The  Witch  of  Endor  and  Cerberus. 

Photograph  by  J.  K.  Hillers,  U.  S.  Geol.  Survey, 

The  Work  of  Corrasion    . 39 

Parunuweap  Canyon  of  the  Virgen  River,  Southern  Utah.     20  to  30  feet 

wide  and  1500  feet  deep  and  iS  miles  long. 
Photograph  by  J.  K.  Hillers,  U.  S.  Geol.  Survey. 

The  Grand  Canyon  and  Terrace  Plateau  Region  (facing)       41 

The  "  Hole  in  the  Wall,"  near  Ft.  Defiance,  Arizona.       41 
This  kind  of  sandstone  has  the  peculiarity  of  weathering  in  this  way, 

sometimes  producing  larger  arches,  alcoves,  etc. 
Photograph  by  Ben  Wittick. 

Looking  down  upon  Glen  CanyOxN      .....       43 

Cut  through  homogeneous  sandstone. 

Photograph  by  J.  K.  Hillers,  U.  S.  Colo.  Riv.  Exp. 

Pinnacle  in  the  Canyon  de  Chelly  .....       45 

About  1500  feet  high.      It  is  much  wider  from  the  side. 
Photograph  by  Ben  Wittick. 

Bad  Lands  on  Black's  Fork  of  Green  River    ...       47 

Photograph  by  U.  S.  Geol.  Survey. 

In  Lower  Kanab  Canyon    .......       48 

Width  about  75  feet.     Depth  2500  to  3000  feet. 
Photograph  by  E.  O.  Beaman. 

The  Pink  Cliffs  .........       49 

Southern  end  of  high  plateaus. 

Photograph  by  J.  K.  Hillers,  U.  S.  Geol.  Survey. 

Towers  at  Short  Creek.     Southern  Utah       ...       50 
This  is  a  part  of  the  great  line  of  Vermilion  Cliffs.     The  region  here 
represented  possesses  some  of  the  most  magnificent  scenery  of  the 
whole  West. 
Outline  drawing  by  W.  H.  tlolmes. 


xxii  Illustrations 


PAGE 


Map  from  a  United  States  Geological  Survey        .         .       51 

Gray's  Peak,  14,341  Feet.     Torrey's  Peak  14,336  Feet    .       52 
Tip-top  of  the  Continental  Divide  whence  the  Colorado  derives  flood 

waters. 
Photograph  by  U.  S.  (leol.  Survey. 

Balanced  Rock    .........       53 

On  trail  from  House  Rock  Valley  to  Lee's  Ferry. 
Photograph  by  E.  O.  Beaman. 

Outline   Sketch    of    the    Grand    Canyon    from    Point 

Sublime  .........       55 

Drawn  by  W.  H.  Holmes. 

Character  of  the  Mountains  and  High  Plateau  Re- 
gions OF  the  Basin  of  the  Colorado  ....       56 

Photograph  by  J.  K.  Hillers. 

Profile  of  the  Colorado  through  the  Grand  Canyon  .   57 

From  Powell's  Report. 

Looking  across  the  Grand  Canyon  (Inner  Gorge)  near 

Foot  of  Toroweap        .......       58 

Depth  3000  feet. 

Photograph  by  J.  K.  Hillers,  U.  S.  Geol.  Survey. 

Pinnacles  in  Split-Mountain  Canyon        ....       61 

Photograph  by  E.  O.  Beaman,  U.  S.  Colo.  Riv.  Exp. 

Head  of  the  Canyon  of  Lodore  just  inside  the  "Gate"        62 

Walls  2500  feet  high  ;  river  300  feet  wide. 
Photograph  by  E.  O.  Beaman,  U.  S.  Colo.  River  Exp. 

Pot-hole  in  Intermittent  Water  Course,  Glen  Canyon       63 

Homogeneous  sandstone.     These  holes  are  often  10  to  15  feet  deep, 

with  the  stones  which  ground  them  lying  in  the  bottom. 
Photograph  by  J.  Fennemore,  U.  S.  Colo.  Riv.  Exp. 

Looking    up    Green   River    Valley    from    below    Union 

Pacific  Railway  Bridge       ......       64 

Photograph  by  C.  R.  Savage. 

Specimen  of  a  Navajo  .......       65 

Photograph  by  J.  K.  Hillers,  U.  S.  Geol.  Survey. 
Young  Warriors  of  the  North  ......       66 

Photograph  by  C.  R    Savage. 


Illustrations  xxiii 


PAGE 


The  Joshua  Tree 67 

Clistoyucca  Arborescens.      Southern  Nevada. 
Photograph  by  C.  R.  Savage. 

A  Pai  Ute  Family  at  Home 68 

Photograph  by  J.  K.  Millers,  U.  S.  Colo.  Riv.  Exp. 

The  Barrel  Cactus     ........       69 

Pencil  Sketch  by  F.  S.  Dellenbaugh. 
Vegetation  of  the  Southwest   ......       70 

Photograph  by  E.  O.  Beaman. 
A  Kaibab  Pai  Ute         ........       72 

Posed  by  Thomas  Moran. 

Photograph  by  J.  K.  Hillers,  U.  S.  Geol.  Survey. 

Side  Canyon  of  Glen  Canyon     ......       73 

Homogeneous  sandstone. 

Photograph  by  J.  Fennemore,  U.  S.  Colo.  Riv.  Exp. 

Entrance  to  Acoma,  N.  M.  .         .         .         .         .         -77 

The  town  is  on  top  of  a  mesa,  and  was  a  prominent  point  on  the  high- 
way from  the  Rio  Grande  to  Zuni. 
Photograph  by  Ben  Wittick. 

Across  the  House  Tops  of  Zuni 79 

Photograph  by  J.  K.  Hillers. 

Ruin  called  Casa  Grande,  Arizona  ....       81 

From  a  photograph  by  Coimos  Mindeleff,  U.  S.  Bu.  Eth. 

Padre  Kino's  Map  of  1701  .......       83 

The  first  map  giving  the  head  of  the  Gulf  correctly. 
From  Bancroft's  History  of  Arizona  and  Xew  Mexico. 

A  Lateral  Canyon  of  Escalante  River    ....       84 

Photograph  by  J.  K.  Hillers,  U.  S.  Colo.  Riv.  Exp. 

The  Moki  Town  of  Wolpi,  Arizona 85 

700  feet  above  the  valley. 

Photograph  by  J.  K.  Hillers,  U.  S.  Geol.  Survey. 

Church  of  San  Xavier  del  Bac,  near  Tucson  ...       88 
Drawing  by  F.  S.  Dellenbaugh,  after  a  photograph. 

CocoPA  Woman  Grinding  Corn  ......       89 

Photograph  by  Delancy  Gill. 


xxiv  Illustrations 


PAGE 


The  Grand  Canyon  from  Bright  Angel  Trail  .         .       91 

Painting  by  Thomas  Moran. 

The  Moki  Town  of  Mishongnuvi,  Arizona         •         •         •       93 

The  hill  surmounted  by  the  town  lies  itself  on  top  of  a  mesa. 
Photograph  by  E.  O.  Beaman. 

The  Canyon  of  the  Little  Colorado         ....       95 
Photograph  by  C.  Barthelmess. 

A  Court  in  Wolpi,  Arizona         ......       97 

Drawing  by  F.  S.  Uellenbaugh. 

A  ZuSTi  Home 98 

Photograph  by  J.  K.  Hillers,  U.  S.  Geol.  Survey. 

The  Governors  of  Zuni        .......       99 

Shows  well  the  general  type  of  the   Puebloans   of  the   Basin   of  the 

Colorado. 
Photograph  by  J.  K.  Hillers. 

Upper  Waters  of  Rio  Virgen      .         .         .         .         .         .100 

Photograph  by  J.  K.  Hillers,  U.  S.  Geol.  Survey. 

Pai  Ute  Girls,  Southern  Utah,  carrying  water     .         .101 

The  jugs  are  wicker,  made  tight  with  pitch. 
Photograph  by  J.  K.  Hillers,  U.  S.  Colo.  Riv.  Exp. 

Ashtishkel,  a  Navajo  Chief 103 

Photograph  by  E.  O.  Beaman,  U.  S.  Colo.  Riv.  Exp. 

Map  of  Green  River  through  the  Uinta  Mountains      .      109 
Flaming  Gorge,  Green  River.    Beginning  of  the  Canyons     i  10 

Picture  taken  just  inside  the  entrance.     Walls  1300  feet. 
Photograph  by  E.  O.  Beaman,  U.  S.  Colo.  Riv.  Exp. 

Red  Canyon  at  Low  Water        .         .         .         .         .         .111 

Length  25  miles,  walls  iSoo  to  2500  feet  high.      Average  width  of  the 
river  250  feet. 

Ashley  Falls,  Red  Canyon,  Green  River  .         .         -113 

General  Ashley  wrote  his  name  on  a  rock  about  half  \\  ay  up  the  picture, 

on  the  right,  in  1825. 
Photograph  by  E.  O.  Beaman,  U.  S.  Colo.  Riv.  Exp. 

The  Grand  Canyon,  from  Bright  Angel  Trail,  looking 

East .         •     115 

Point  of  view  looo  feet  above  the  water.     Total  depth,  between  sofjo 

and  6000  feet. 
Photograph  by  Rose. 


Illustrations  xxv 

PACE 

Entrance   to  Black   Canyon,    first    seen    by    James  O. 

Pattie ii6 

Photograph  by  Wheeler  Expedition. 

The  Navajo  Type         .         .  .  .         .  .         .         .      iig 

Photograph  by  J.  K.  Millers,  U.  S.  Geol.  Survey. 

Upper  Valley  OF  the  ViRGEN      ......      121 

Photograph  by  C.  R.  Savage. 

The   "  Navajo  Church,"   a  Freak  of  Erosion  near  Ft. 

Wing  ATE,  N.  M 123 

The  Basin  of  the  Colorado  is  full  of  such  architectural  forms. 
Photograph  by  Ben  Wittick. 

Cliffs  of  the  Rio  Virgen    .......     125 

About  2500  feet  high. 

Photograph  by  J.  K.  Ilillers,  U.  S.  Geol.  Survey. 

The  "  Colob "  Country,  Southern  Utah  .         .         .     127 

Photograph  by  J.  K.  Hillers,  U.  S.  Colo.  Riv.  Exp. 

In  the  Canyon  of  Lodore  .......   129 

Walls  about  2500  feet,  width  of  river  about  400  feet. 

Uinta  Utes,  Saiar's  Home  .         .         .         .         .         .131 

Photograph  by  J.  K.  Hillers,  U.  S.  Geol.  Survey. 

Kaibab    Pai   Ute    Boys    Playing    a   Game  of  Wolf   and 

Deer  .         .  ........      134 

Photograph  by  J.  K.  Hillers,  U.  S.  Colo.  Riv.  Exp. 

Canyon  of  Lodore,  Green  River,  Looking  up  the  Canyon     136 

Walls  2000  to  2500  feet  high.      "  Wheatstack  "  in  distance. 
Photograph  by  E.  O.  Beaman,  U.  S.  Colo.  Riv.  Exp. 

Las  Vegas,  Southern  Nevada,  on  the  Old  Spanish  Trail     137 

From  an  oil  sketch  by  F.  S.  Dellenbaugh 

A  Canyon  in  the  Cliffs,  Southern  Nevada       .         .         .     139 

Pencil  sketch  by  F.  .S.  Dellenbaugh. 

Crossing  the  Lower  Colorado    ......     141 

Width  400  to  500  yards. 
Photograph  by  Delancy  Gill. 

A  CocoPA  Dwelling,  near  Mouth  of  the  Colorado  .     144 

Photograph  by  Delancy  Gill. 


xxvi  Illustrations 


PAGE 


On  the  Yuma  Desert  .         . i45 

I'hotograph  by  Delancy  Gill. 

A  Uinta  Ute i47 

Photograph  by  J.  K.  Millers,  U.  S.  Cleol.  Survey. 

"Judy,"  A  Navajo 149 

From  a  photograph  by  J.  K.  Hillers. 

One  of  the  Parks  on  the  Kaibab        .....     150 

Photograph  by  T.  Mitchell  rnuhlen. 

The  Ruins  in  Canyon  de  Chelly,  Arizona,  called  "  Casa 

Blanca" 153 

Photograph  by  J.  K.  Ilillers,  U.  S.  Genl.  Survey. 

Part  of  Map  No.  i,  by  Lieut.  J.  C.  Ives,  1858  .         .         .157 
From  the  Gulf  to  the  mouth  of  the  Gila. 

Robinson's  Landing     .         . 159 

Mouth    of    the    Colorado    River.       Starting-point    of    Lieut.     Ives's 

Exploration. 
Photograph  by  Lieut.  Ives,  redrawn  by  J.  J.  Young. 

The  Steamer  "  Explorer"  in  which  Lieut.  Ives  in  1857 

Ascended  the  Colorado  to  Foot  of  Black  Canyon  .     161 

Sketch  by  H.  B.  MoUhausen. 

Looking  down  the  Grand  Canyon  from  the  Mouth  of 

the  Kanab     .........      163 

Depth  about  4000  feet. 

Oil  sketch  by  F.  S.  Dellenbaugh. 

Black  Canyon — Looking  Down  .....     166 

Photograph  by  Wheeler  Exjieditioii. 

Fortification  Rock     ........     i68 

Castellated  gravels  at  the  foot.     Near  the  head  of  Black  Canyon. 
Photograph  by  Wheeler  Expedition. 

The  Canyon  of  Diamond  Creek  .         .         .         .         .         .     169 

Photograph  by  \V.  H.  Jackson. 

Fort  Yuma  and  the  Old  Railway  Bridge  of  the  South- 
ern Pacific  •     171 

Photograph  by  C.  R.  Savage. 


Illustrations  xxvii 

PAGE 

At    the   Junction    of    the   Green    and    Grand    on    the 

Surface  .         .         .         .         .         .         .         .         -172 

Photograph  by  E.  O.  Beamaii,  U.  S.  Colo.  Riv.  Exp. 

The  Barrel   Cactus  Compared  with   the   Height  of  a 

Man        ..........      174 

Photograph  by  C.  R.  Savage. 

Canyon  of  San  Juan  River  Looking  West  at  Honiket 

Trail,  Utah  ........      177 

Two  thousand  feet  deep. 
Photograph  by  Charles  Goodman. 

A  Glen  of  Glen  Canyon      .         .         .         .         .         .         .178 

These  are  numerous,  hence  the  name. 

Catakact  Canyon  Rapid  at  Low  Water  ....      180 
Photograph  by  E.  O.  Beaman,  U.  S.  Colo.  Riv.  Exp. 

Looking  up  the  Grand  Canyon  from  Mouth  of  Kanab 

Canyon  .........      182 

Pencil  sketch  by  F.  S.  Dellenbaugh. 

John  Wesley  Powell  . 185 

Explorer  of  the  Canyons  of  the  Colorado,  Founder  and,  till  his  death. 
Director  of  the  Bureau  of  American  Ethnology,  and  long  Director 
of  the  U.  S.  Geological  Survey.  As  he  looked  during  the  decade 
following  his  two  descents  of  the  Colorado.  Taken  about  1876 
in  Washington.     Major  Powell  died  September  23,  igo2. 

Character  of  Green  River  Valley  in  the  Vicinity  of 

the  Crossing  of  the  U.  P.  Railway    ....      187 

Photograph  by  E.  O.  Beaman,  U.  S.  Colo.  Riv.  Exp. 

Part  of  a  Rapid  .........     188 

Photograph  by  J.  K.  Hillers,  U.  S.  Colo.  Riv.  Exp. 

Canyon  of  Lodore — The  Wheatstack        ....     191 

Photograph  by  E.  O.  Beaman,  U.  S.  Colo.  Riv.  Exp. 

Green  River  above  Flaming  Gorge    .         .         .         .         -193 
Photograph  by  E.  O.  Beaman,  U.  S.  Colo.  Riv.  Exp. 

Red  Canyon,   Green   River.     Upper  Portion.     Looking 

UP  Stream      .         .         .         .         .         .         .         .         •      ^95 

Photograph  by  E.  O.  Beaman,  U.  S.  Colo.  Riv.  Exp. 


xxviii  Illustrations 

Page 

The  Canyon  of  Lodore — Upper  Part  of  Disaster  Falls.      197 
Where  Powell  lost  the  Xo-Xame  in  1869. 
Photograph  by  E.  O.  Beanian,  U.  S.  Colo.  Riv.  Exp. 

The  Canyon  of  Brush  Creek — Looking  Up        .         .         .     198 

This  stream  enters  the  Green  not   far  helow  foot  of  Split-Mountain 

Canyon. 
Photograph  by  J.  K.  Ilillers,  U.  S.  Colo.  Riv.  Exp. 

The  Canyon  of  Lodore        .......     201 

Looking  down  at  Triplet  Falls.     Depth  about  2500  feet. 
Photograph  by  E.  O.  Beaman,  U.  S.  Geol.  Survey. 

Echo  Rock  on  Right,  from  which  Echo  Park  Takes  its 

Name 203 

To  one  sitting  in  a  boat  near  foreground  a  sentence  of  ten  words  is 

repeated. 
Photograph  by  E.  O.  Beaman,  U.  S.  Colo.  Riv.  Exp. 

The  Canyon  of  Desolation — Sumner's  Amphitheatre     .     205 

Walls  about  1200  feet. 

Photograph  by  E.  O.  IJeaman,  U.  S.  Colo.  Riv.  Exp. 

The  Canyon  of  Desolation — Low  Water  .         .         -     206 

Cliffs  about  2500  feet. 

Photograph  by  E.  O.  Beaman,  U.  S.  Colo.  Riv.  Exp. 

Junction  of  the  Grand  and  Green    .         .         .         =         ,     210 

Photograph  by  E.  O.  Beaman,  U.  S.  Colo.  Riv.  Exp. 

In  Cataract  Canyon ,211 

Highest  walls  in  this  canyon  2700  feet. 

Photograph  by  E.  O.  Beaman,  U.  S.  Colo.  Riv.  Exp. 

The    Crags    at    Millecrag    Bend,    foot    of    Cataract 

Canyon  .         .         .         .         .         .         .  .214 

Photograph  by  E.  O.  Beaman,  U.  S.  Colo.  Riv.  Exp. 

The  Music  Temple  Alcove,  Glen  Canyon  .         .         -     215 

Photograph  by  E.  O.  Beaman,  U.  S.  Colo.  Riv.  Exp. 

The  Depths  of  the  Grand  Canyon  at  Sunset  .         .217 

Studio  painting  by  F.  S.  Dellenbaugh,  in  the  possession  of  Prof.  A.  H. 
Thompson,  who  considers  it  the  best  representation  of  the  canyon 
from  below  that  he  has  seen,  "the  truest  —  far  better  than  any 
photograph  because  more  comprehensive." 


Illustrations  xxix 


PAGE 


The  Grand  Canyon.     The  "Sockdologer"  Rapid     ,         ,     219 

Fall  of  about  80  feet  in  one  third  of  a  mile. 
Photograph  by  J.  K.  Hillers,  U.  S.  Colo.  Riv.  Exp. 

BOTTO:\I  OF  THE  GRAND  CaNYON     ...,«,       222 

Looking  down  from  foot  of  Bright  Angel  Trail. 
Photograph  by  T.  Mitchell  Prudden. 

In  THE  Midst  of  a  Grand  Canyon  Rapid  ...     223 

Studio  painting  by  F.  S.  Dellenbaugh. 

The  Grand  Canyon  — Granite  Buttresses  ,         .     225 

Photograph  by  J.  K.  Hillers,  U.  S.  Colo.  Riv,  E.xp. 

The  Basket  Maker       ........     229 

Old  woman  of  the  Kaibab  Pai  Utes.  Behind  is  the  typical  Pai  Ute 
dwelling  of  boughs  and  brush.  The  dwellings  of  the  Shewits  are 
similar. 

Photograph  by  J.  K.  Hillers,  U.  S.  Colo.  Riv.  Exp. 

Brother  Belder's — Virgen  City    ,    .    .    .    =  231 

A  typical  frontier  Mormon  home. 
Photograph  by  U.  S.  Geol.  Survey. 

Green  River  Station,  U.  P.  Ry.,  Wyoming,  1871       .         .     234 
Starting  point  of  the  two  Powell  expeditions. 

Thompson,  Hattan,  Jones,  Steward,  W.  C.  Powell,  Rich- 
ardson, Dellenbaugh,  Bishop      .....     235 

Our  first  camp,  Green  River,  Wyoming.  United  States  Colorado 
River  Expedition,  1S71.  The  borrowed  table  was,  of  course,  left 
behind. 

Photograph  by  E.  O.  Beaman,  U.  S.  Colo.  Riv.  Exp. 

The  Boats  of  Powell's  Second  Expedition  on  the  Beach 

AT  Green  River,  Wyoming   ......     237 

Photograph  by  E.  O.  Beaman,  U.  S.  Colo.  Riv.  Exp. 

Ruins  of  Green  River  Terminus        .....     238 

Photograph  by  E.  O.  Beaman,  U.  S.  Colo.  Riv.  Exp. 

A.  H.  Thompson 241 

Powell's  colleague  in  the  second  descent  of  the  Colorado  and  subse- 
quent work.  For  over  thirty  years  prominently  connected  with 
the  United  States  survey  work  in  the  basin  of  the  Colorado  and 
adjacent  country  and  in  the  Eastern  States. 

Recent  photograph  by  Clinedinst. 


XXX  Illustrations 

PAGE 

Ready  for  the  Start,  U.  S.  Colorado  River  Expedition, 

Green  River,  Wyoming,  1871         .....     242 
Photograph  by  E.  O.  Beaman,  U.  S.  Colo.  Riv.  Exp. 

Portraits  of  all  but  Two  Members  of  the  Boat  Party 

OF  the  U.  S.  Colorado  River  Expedition  of  1871      .     243 

Green    River    Valley.      Camp    at    Tilted    Ledge    near 

Henry's  Fork        ........     245 

Photograph  by  E.  O.  Beaman,  U.  S.  Colo.  Riv.  E.xp. 

Head  of  Kingfisher  Canyon,  Green  River        .         .         .     247 

Photograph  by  E.  O.  Beaman,  U.  S.  Colo.  Riv.  Exp. 

The  Heart  OF  Lodore  .         .         .         .         .         .         -251 

Photograph  by  E.  O.  Beaman,  U.  S.  Colo.  Riv.  Exp. 

The  Canyon  of  Lodore.     Looking  down  Stream      .         -     252 

Photograph  by  E.  O.  Beaman,  U.  S.  Colo.  Riv.  Exp. 

The  Canyon  of  Lodore.     Looking  across  a  Rapid  .         .     254 

Photograph  by  E.  O.  Beaman,  U.  S.  Colo.  Riv.  Exp. 

Canyon  of  Lodore  at  Triplet  Falls  .         .         .         -257 

Cliffs  about  2500  feet  high.     River  about  300  feet  wide. 
Photograph  by  E.  O.  Beaman,  U.  S.  Colo.  Riv.  Exp. 

Island  Park,  Green  River  ......     260 

Between  Whirlpool  and  Split-Mountain  Canyons. 
Photograph  by  E.  O.  Beaman,  U.  S.  Colo.  Riv.  Exp. 

Entrance   to    Split-Mountain    Canyon,     Right    Hand 

Cliffs     ..........     261 

Height  about  2000  feet. 

Photograph  by  E.  O.  Beaman,  U.  S.  Colo.  Riv.  Exp. 

In  Split-Mountain  Canyon         ......     262 

Highest  walls  2700  feet. 

Photograph  by  E.  O.  Beaman,  U.  S.  Colo.  Riv.  Exp. 

Split-Mountain  Canyon      .......     263 

Looking  down  from  top  near  entrance,  3000  feet 
Photograph  by  E.  O.  Beaman,  U.  S.  Colo.  Riv.  Exp. 

Men  of  the  1871  Expedition  at  the  Abandoned  Cabin 

Opposite  the  Mouth  of  the  Uinta  River  .         .         .     264 
Photograph  by  E.  O.  Beaman,  U.  S.  Colo.  Riv.  Exp. 


Illustrations  xxxi 


PAGE 


The  Runaways.     White  River  Utes  .         .         .         .     265 

Photograph  by  E.  O.  Beaman,  U.  S.  Colo.  Riv.  Exp. 

Canyon  of  Desolation         .......     266 

Walls  2000  feet. 

Photograph  by  E.  O.  Beaman,  U.  S.  Colo.  Riv.  Exp. 

A  Halt  for  Observations  .......     267 

Second  Powell  Expedition. 

Photograph  by  E.  O.  Beaman,  U.  S.  Colo.  Riv.  Exp. 

Uinta  Ute  Tipi  and  a  Summer  Shelter  and  Outlook, 

Showing  the  Old-Time  Notched  Log  for  a  Ladder.     268 

Photograph  by  J.   K.  Hillers,  U.  S.  Geol.  Survey. 

Dellenbaugh  Butte,  Green  River  near  the  San  Rafael.     269 
Photograph  by  E.  O.  Beaman,  U.  S.  Colo.  Riv.  Exp. 

Gunnison  Butte  .         .         .         .         .         .         .         .271 

Head  of  Gunnison  Valley  and  foot  of  Gray  Canyon.     Powell  Expedition 

of  1 871  repairing  boats. 
Photograph  by  E.  O.  Beaman,  U.  S.  Colo.  Riv.  Exp. 

Labyrinth  Canyon,  Trinalcove  .....      273 

Photograph  by  E.  O.  Beaman,  U.  S.  Colo.  Riv.  Exp. 

Bonito  Bend,  between  Labyrinth  and  Stillwater  Can- 
yons         274 

Photograph  by  E.  O.  Beaman,  U.  S.  Colo.  Riv.  Exp. 

The  Butte  of  the  Cross  between  Labyrinth  and  Still- 
water Canyons     ........     275 

Photograph  by  E.  O.  Beaman,  U.  S.  Colo.  Riv.  Exp. 

Head  of  Cataract  Canyon,  Looking  down  from  Top  of 

Walls  near  the  Junction  of  the  Grand  and  Green       278 

Depth,  1300  feet. 

Photograph  by  E.  O.  Beaman,  U.  S.  Colo.  Riv.  Exp. 

Side  Canyon  of  Cataract  Canyon  .....  280 

1500  feet  deep  ;  25  feet  wide  at  bottom,  300  feet  at  top. 
Photograph  by  E.  O.  Beaman,  U.  S.  Colo.  Riv.  Exp. 

Side  Canyon  of  Cataract  Canyon   .....  283 

Photograph  by  E.  O.  Beaman,  U.  S.  Colo.  Riv.  Exp. 


xxxii  Illustrations 


PAGE 


Cataract    Canyon,    Right-hand   Wall   toward    Lower 

End 285 

Height  about  2700  feet. 

Photograph  by  E.  O.  Beaman,  U.  S.  Colo.  Riv.  Exp. 

The  Town  of  Bluff 288 

Upper  valley  of  the  San  Juan  River. 
Photograph  by  Chas.  Goodman. 

Glen  Canyon  Wall 289 

About  1200  feet  high.      Homogeneous  sandstone  on  top  of  thin  bedded 

sandstone. 
Photograph  by  J.  Fennemore,  U.  S.  Colo.  Riv.  Exp. 

Glen  Canyon        .........     290 

Sandstone  wall  aljout  1200  feet  high. 

Photograph  by  J.  Fennemore,  U.  S.  Colo.  Riv.  Exp. 

Glen  Canyon,  Sentinel  Rock     ......     291 

Between  the  Crossing  of  the  Fathers  and  Lee"s  Ferry  ;  about  300  feet 

high. 
Photograph  by  E.  O.  Beaman,  U.  S.  Colo.  Riv.  Exp. 

The  Grand  Canyon      ........     295 

Cliffs    opposite    the   mouth    of   Diamond    Creek.      The    highest    point 

visible  is  about  3500  feet  above  the  river. 
Photograph  by  T.  H.  O'Sullivan,  Wheeler  Exp. 

The  Beginning  of  a  Natural  Arch 297 

Photograph  by  C.  R.  Savage. 

The  Grand  Canyon     .         , 300 

Near  mouth  of  Diamond  Creek. 

Photograph  by  T.  H.  O'Sullivan,  Wheeler  Exp. 

The  Crew  of  the  "  Trilobite" 302 

At  the  mouth  of  Diamond  Creek. 

Photograph  by  T.  II.  O'Sullivan,  Wheeler  Exp. 

The  Dining-table  in  Camp  ......     304 

Dutch  oven,  left  foreground. 
Photograph  by  F.  S.  Dellenbaugh. 

Winter  Headquarters  at  Kanab,  1872-3  .         ,         .     306 

Photograph  by  J.  K.  Hillers. 


Illustrations  xxxiii 

Page 

The  Uinkaret  Mountains  at  Sunset,  from  the  North- 
east       ..........     307 

Mt.  Trumbull  in  middle,  Mt.  Logan  in  the  far  distance. 
Oil  sketch  by  F.  S.  Dellenbaugh. 

Major  Powell  and  a  Pai  Ute.     Southern  Utah,  1872    .     308 

Photograph  by  J.  K.  Millers,  U.  S.  Colo.  Riv.  Exp. 

The  Expedition  Photographer  in  the  Field     .         .         .     309 

Photograph  by  J.  K.  Hillers,  U.  S.  Geol.  Survey. 

Lake  on  the  Aquarius  Plateau  .         .         .         „         -311 

Photograph  by  J.  K.  Hillers,  U.  S.  Colo.  Riv.  Exp. 

Butte  in  Grand  Gulch        .         .         .         .         .         .  313 

A  tributary  of  the  San  Juan. 
Photograph  by  Charles  Goodman. 

Repairing  Boat  near  Mouth  of  Fremont  River  on  the 

Colorado,  1S72      ........     314 

Photograph  by  J.  Fennemore,  U.  S.  Colo.  Riv.  Exp. 

Major  Powell  in  the  Field,  1872        .         .         „         ,         .     315. 

Navajos  in  Characteristic  Dress       .         .         .         .         .318 
Photograph  by  F.  S.  Dellenbaugh. 

Marble  Canyon  .         .         .         .         .         .         .         .         .321 

Photograph  by  J.  K.  Hillers,  U.  S.  Colo.  Riv.  Exp. 

Marble  Canyon  near  the  Lower  End        ....     324 

Walls  about  3500  feet. 

Photograph  by  J.  K.  Hillers,  U.  S.  Colo.  Riv.  Exp. 

F.  S.  Dellenbaugh,  1872      .....         o         .     326 
Tintype  by  J.  K.  Hillers. 

Granite  Falls,  Grand  Canyon  .....     327 

Photograph  by  J.  K.  Hillers,  U.  S.  Colo.  Riv.  Exp. 

Running  the  "Sockdologer,"  Grand  Canyon  .         .     329 

Fall  80  feet  in  ^  mile. 

Studio  painting  by  F.  S.  Dellenbaugh. 

Looking  up  a  Side  Canyon  of  the  Grand  Canyon  in  the 

Kaibab  Division     ........      7,^^ 

Photograph  by  J.  K.  Hillers,  U.  S.  Colo.  Riv.  Exp. 


xxxiv  Illustrations 


PAGE. 


A  Capsize  in  the  Grand  Canyon         .....     335 

Drawing  by  F.  S.  Dellenbaugh. 

The   Grand   Canyon,    Looking    down    from    Mouth    of 

Kanab  Canyon  in  Winter    ......     338 

Photograph  by  E.  O.  Beaman. 

The  Outlet  of  the  Creek  in  Surprise  Valley  near  the 

Mouth  of  Kanab  Canyon,  Grand  Canyon  .         .     339 

Photograph  by  E.  O.  Beaman. 

Mouth  of  Kanab  Canyon    .......     340 

.•\bancloned  boats  of  the  U.  S.  Colo.  Riv.  Exp.,  1872. 
Photograph  by  J.  K.  Hillers,  U.  S.  Colo    Riv.  Exp. 

Camp  at  Oak  Spring,  Uinkaret  Mountains       .         .         .     343 
Photograph  by  J.  K.  Hillers,  U.  S.  Colo.  Riv.  Exp. 

Mukoontuweap  Canyon,  North  Fork  of  the  Virgen       .     344 

Ten  miles  long,  3500  feet  deep. 

Photograph  by  J.  K.  Hillers,  U.  S.  Geol.  Survey. 

Looking  down  the  Canyon  de  Chelly,  a  Tributary  of 

the  San  Juan  and  Containing  many  Cliff  Houses     .     345 

Photograph  by  Ben.  Wittick. 

A  Cave-Lake  in  a  Sandstone  Cliff  near  Kanab,  South 

Utah 349 

Photograph  by  J.  K.  Hillers,  U.  S.  Colo.  Riv.  Exp. 

In  Marble  Canyon,  about  Midway  between  Paria  and 

Little  Colorado  .         .         .         .         .         .         .         .352 

Photograph  by  J.  K.  Hillers,  U.  S.  Colo.  Riv.  Exp. 

Marble  Canyon,  Lower  Portion        .....     355 
Walls  about  3500  feet. 
From  photograph  by  J.  K.  Hillers,  U.  S.  Colo.  Riv.  Exp. 

Looking  West  from  Jacob's  Pool  on  Road  to  Lee's  Ferry. 

Vermilion  Cliffs  in  Distance       .....     356 

Photograph  by  W.  Bell. 

Robert  Brewster  Stanton  .         .         .         .         .         .358 

Recent  photograph  by  Kaufmann,  Pittsburgh. 

The  Grand  Canyon     ........     360 

In  the  First  Granite  Gorge. 

Photograph  by  J.  K.  Hillers,  U.  S.  Colo.  Riv.  Exp. 


Illustrations  xxxv 


PAGE 


The  Great  Unxonformity 362 

Top  of  the  Granite,  Grand  Canyon. 
Photograph  by  T.  Mitchell  Prudden. 

Looking  up  the  Grand  Canyon,  at  the  Foot  of  Toro- 

WEAP,  Uinkaret  Division      ......     365 

Depth  of  inner  gorge  about  3000  feet — width,  brink  to  brink,  about 

3500  feet. 
Oil  sketch  by  F.  S.  Dellenbaugh. 

The  Grand  Canyon — Lava  Falls 366 

Just  below  the  Toroweap. 

Total  depth  of  canyon  about  4500  feet. 

Photograph  by  J.  K.  Hillers,  U.  S.  Colo.  Riv.  Exp. 

On  the  Bright  Angel  Trail 367 

Photograph  by  T.  Mitchell  Prudden. 
John  Wesley  Powell,  1834-1902  .....     374 

Green  River  from  the  U.  P.  Railway  to  White  River, 

Showing  Gorges  through  the  Uinta  Mountains       .     379 

The  Grand  Canyon     ........     382 

Boats  of  the  second  Powell   Expedition,   showing  armchair  in  which 

Powell  sat. 
Photograph  by  J.  K.  Hillers,  U.  S.  Colo.  Riv.  Exp. 

The  "Major  Powell" 3^5 

The  first   power-boat   on   Green    River.       Steam.       Drew  28  inches. 

Launched,  1S91. 
Photograph  by  Lute  H.  Johnson. 

The  Steamer  "Undine" 391 

Wrecked  while  trying  to  ascend  a  rapid  on  Grand  River  above  Moab. 
Photograph  by  R.  G.  Leonard. 

The  "Wilmont,"  First 402 

Gasoline  power. 

Photograph  by  R.  G.  Leonard. 

The  "  Wilmont,"  Second 4°^ 

Gasoline  power. 


-r^li.  J 


■    / 

Looking  into  the  First  Granite  Gorge,  Grand  Canyon  Foot  of  Bright  Angel  Trail. 

Including  marble  Canyon  division,  this  gorge  is  nearly   300  miles  long.     Total  de;jth  between 

5000  and  6000  feet. 
Photograph  by  H.'VLL. 


THE  ROMANCE 
OF  THE  COLORADO  RIVER 


CHAPTER    I 

The  Secret  of  the  Gulf — Ulloa,   1539,   One  of  the  Captains  of  Cortes,  Almost 
Solves  it,  but  Turns  Back  without  Discovering — Alar9on,  1540,  Conquers. 

IN  every  country  the  great  rivers  have  presented  attractive 
pathways  for  interior  exploration  - — •  gateways  for  settle- 
ment. Eventually  they  have  grown  to  be  highroads  where 
the  rich  cargoes  of  development,  profiting  by  favouring  tides, 
floated  to  the  outer  world.  Man,  during  all  his  wanderings  in 
the  struggle  for  subsistence,  has  universally  found  them  his 
friends  and  allies.  They  have  yielded  to  him  as  a  conquering 
stranger;  they  have  at  last  become  for  him  foster-parents. 
Their  verdant  banks  have  sheltered  and  protected  him  ;  their 
skies  have  smiled  upon  his  crops.  With  grateful  memories, 
therefore,  is  clothed  for  us  the  sound  of  such  river  names  as 
Thames,  Danube,  Hudson,  Mississippi.  Through  the  centuries 
their  kindly  waters  have  borne  down  ancestral  argosies  of  pro- 
fit without  number,  establishing  thus  the  wealth  and  happiness 
of  the  people.  Well  have  rivers  been  termed  the  "Arteries  of 
Commerce";  well,  also,  may  they  be  considered  the  binding 
links  of  civilisation. 

Then,  by  contrast,  it  is  all  the  more  remarkable  to  meet 
with  one  great  river  which  is  none  of  these  helpful  things,  but 


2  The  Colorado  River 

which,  on  the  contrary,  is  a  veritable  drai^on,  loud  in  its  dan- 
gerous lair,  defiant,  fierce,  opposinj^  utility  everywhere,  re- 
fusing absolutely  to  be  bridled  by  Commerce,  perpetuating  a 
wilderness,    jirohibiting  mankind's  encroachments,   and   in   its 


In  Glen  Canyon. 

Walls  of  homogeneous  sandstone  looo  feet  high. 
Photograph  by  J.  Fennemore,  U.  S.  Colorado  River  Expedition. 

immediate  tide  presenting  a  formidable  host  of  snarling  waters 
whose  angry  roar,  reverberating  wildly  league  after  league  be- 
tween giant  rock-walls  carved  through  the  bowels  of  the  earth, 
heralds  the  impossibility  of  human  conquest  and  smothers 
hope.      From  the  tiny  rivulets  of  its  snowy  birth  to  the  fero- 


o    .12 


CO    o    "o 


.  -5    a  a 


S  ■= 


4  The  Colorado  River 

cious  tidal  bore  where  it  dies  in  the  sea,  it  wages  a  ceaseless 
battle  as  sublime  as  it  is  terrible  and  unique. 

Such  is  the  great  Colorado  Ri\-er  of  the  West,  rising  amidst 
the  fountains  of  the  beautiful  Wind  River  Mountains  of 
Wyoming,  where  also  are  brought  forth  the  gentler  Columbia 
and  the  mighty,  far-reaching  Missouri.  Whirling  down  ten 
thousand  feet  in  some  two  thousand  miles,  it  meets  the  hot 
level  of  the  Red  Sea,  once  the  Sea  of  Cortes,  now  the  Gulf  of 
California,  in  tumult  and  turmoil.  In  this  long  run  it  is  cliff- 
bound  nine-tenths  of  the  way,  and  the  whole  country  drained 
by  it  and  its  tributaries  has  been  wrought  by  the  waters  and 
Avinds  of  ages  into  multitudinous  plateaus  and  canyons.  The 
canyons  of  its  tributaries  often  rival  in  grandeur  those  of  the 
main  stream  itself,  and  the  tributaries  receive  other  canyons 
■equally  magnificent,  so  that  we  see  here  a  stupendous  system 
of  gorges  and  tributary  gorges,  which,  even  now  bewildering, 
were  to  the  early  pioneer  practically  prohibitory.  Water  is  the 
master  sculptor  in  this  weird,  wonderful  land,  yet  one  could 
there  die  easily  of  thirst.  Notwithstanding  the  gigantic  work 
accomplished,  water,  except  on  the  river,  is  scarce.  Often  for 
months  the  soil  of  the  valleys  and  plains  never  feels  rain  ;  even 
dew  is  unknown.  In  this  arid  region  much  of  the  vegetation 
is  set  with  thorns,  and  some  of  the  animals  are  made  to  match 
the  vegetation.  A  knowledge  of  this  forbidding  area,  now 
robbed  of  some  of  its  old  terrors  by  the  facilities  in  transporta- 
tion, has  been  finally  gained  only  by  a  long  series  of  persistent 
efforts,  attended  by  dangers,  pri\-ations,  reverses,  discourage- 
ments, and  disasters  innumerable. 

The  Amerind,'  the  red  man,  roamed  its  wild  valleys. 
Some  tribes  built  stone  houses  whose  ruins  are  now  found 
overlooking  its  waters,  even  in  the  depths  of  the  Grand  Canyon 
itself,  or  in  the  cliffs  along  the  more  accessible  tributaries, 
cultivating  in  the  bottoms  their  crops.  Lands  were  also  tilled 
along  the  extreme  lower  reaches,  where  tlie-gf^atJ^er^K-walls  fall 
back  and  alluvial  soils  border  the  stream.  Here  and  there  the 
Amerind  also  crossed  it,  when   occasion  required,  on  the  great 

'This  name  is  a  substitute  for  the  misnomer  "Indian."  Its  use  avoids 
confusion. 


>" 

o 

r~ 

> 

u 

•a 

S 

^ 

W 

o 

o 

o 

-c  M 


i!     t- 


-'     2  Z 


H     S 


The  Colorado  River 


intertribal  hiL;h\\a\-s  which  arc  fouiul  in  all  districts,  but  it  was 
neither  one  thing  nor  another  to  him. 

So  the  river  rolled  on  through  its  solemn  canyons  in  prim- 
eval freedom,  unvexed  by  the  tampering  and  meddling  of  man. 
The  Spaniards,  after  the  picturesque  conquest  of  the  luckless 
Aztecs,  were  eagerly  searching  for  new  fields  of  profitable  bat- 
tle,   and    the  n    they 
dreamed     of    finding 
among  the  mysteries  of 
the  alluring  northland, 
stretching  so    far  away 
into    the    Unknown,    a 
repetition   of  towns    as 
populous,  as  wealthy  in 
pure  gold,   as  those   of 
the    valley    of    Mexico 
whose   despoiled    treas- 
ures   had   fired  the  cu- 
pidity   of    Europe   and 
had  crammed  the  strong 
boxes    of    the    Spanish 
king.     And  there  might 
be    towns    even   richer! 
Who    could    say?      An 
Amerind    named   Tejo, 
who  belonged  to   Guz- 
man when  he  was  presi- 
dent of  New  Spain,  that 
is,   about    1530,  told  of 
journeys  he    had   made 
with  his  father,  when  a  boy,  to  trade  in  the  far  north  where  he 
saw  very  large  villages  like  Mexico,  especially  seven  large  towns 
full  of  silver-workers,  forty  days'  journey  through  the  wilder- 
ness.    This  welcome  story  was  fuel  to  the  fire.     Guzman  organ- 
ised a  party  and  started  for  these  wonderful  seven  cities,  but 
numerous  difficulties  prevented  the  fulfilment  of  his  plans,  and 
caused  a  halt  after  traversing  but  a  small  portion  of  the  distance. 
Cortes  had  now  also  returned  from  a  visit  to  Spain,  and  he  and 


-'-^.-^c 


V-.1 

House  Ruins  on  Cliff  of  Glen  Canyon. 

There  were  habitations  also  under  the  heavy  top 

ledge. 

Photograph  by  J.  FENfNEMORE,  U.  S.  Geol.  Survey. 


The  Seven  Cities  7 

Guzman  were  at  the  point  of  the  sword.  Then  shortly  arrived 
from  the  north  (1536),  after  incredible  wanderings  between  the 
Mississippi  and  the  Rio  Grande,  that  man  of  wonderful  endur- 
ance, Alvar  Nunez  Cabeza  de  Vaca,'  with  his  surviving  com- 
panions, Dorantes,  Maldonado,  and  Estevan.  The  latter,  a 
negro,  was  afterwards  very  prominent  by  his  connection  with 
the  fatal  expedition  sent  out  under  the  Friar  Marcos  to  investi- 
gate the  north  country.  The  negro,  if  not  the  other  men,  gave 
a  highly  colored  account  of  the  lands  they  had  traversed,  and 
especially  of  what  they  had  heard,  so  that  more  fuel  was  added 
to  the  fire,  and  the  desire  to  explore  the  mysteries  burned  into 
execution.  Cortes,  harassed  by  his  numerous  enemies  in 
Mexico  and  Spain,  determined  on  a  new  effort  to  carry  out 
his  cherished  plan  of  reaping  further  glories  in  the  fascinating 
regions  of  the  north  so  full  of  possibilities.  There  conse- 
quently sailed  from  Acapulco,  July  8,  1539,  a  fleet  of  three 
vessels  under  Francisco  de  Ulloa.  Cortes  was  prevented  by 
circumstances  from  going  with  this  expedition.  After  many 
difficulties  Ulloa  at  length  found  himself  at  the  very  head  of 
the  Sea  of  Cortes  in  shallow  water. 

"  And  thus  sailing  [he  writes]  we  always  found  more  shallow 
water,  and  the  sea  thick,  black,  and  very  muddy,  and  came  at 
length  into  five  fathom  water;  and  seeing  this  we  determined  to 
pass  over  to  the  land  which  we  had  seen  on  the  other  side,  and  here 
likewise  we  found  as  little  depth  or  less,  whereupon  we  rode  all 
night  in  five  fathom  water,  and  we  perceived  the  sea  to  run  with  so 
great  a  rage  into  the  land  that  it  was  a  thing  much  to  be  marvelled 
at;  and  with  the  like  fury  it  returned  back  again  with  the  ebb,  during 
which  time  we  found  eleven  fathom  water,  and  the  flood  and  ebb 
continued  from  five  to  six  hours." 

The  next  day 

*'  the  captain  and  the  pilot  went  up  to  the  ship's  top  and  saw  all  the 
land  full  of  sand  in  a  great  round  compass  and  joining  itself  with 
the  other  shore;  and  it  was  so  low  that  whereas  we  were  a  league 

'  For  a  full  account  of  the  experiences  of  Alvar  Nunez,  see  the  translation  of 
Buckingham  Smith.  Also  Bandelier,  Contributions  to  the  History  of  the  South- 
ivestern  Portions  of  the  United  States. 


8  The  Colorado  River 

from  the  same  we  could  not  discern  it,  and  it  seemed  there  was  an 
inlet  of  the  mouths  of  certain  lakes,  whereby  the  sea  went  in  and 
out.  There  were  divers  opinions  amongst  us,  and  some  thought 
that  that  current  entered  into  these  lakes,  and  also  that  some  great 
river  there  might  be  the  cause  thereof.'" 

This  seems  to  have  been  the  very  first  visit  of  Europeans  to 
the  mouth  of  the  Colorado,  but  as  Ulloa  did  not  see  the  river, 
and  only  surmised  that  there  mit^ht  be  one  there,  it  cannot  be 
considered  in  any  way  a  discovery.  It  has  been  supposed  by 
some  that  Friar  Juan  de  la  Asumpcion,  in  1538,  might  have 
reached  the  Colorado  in  his  deep  river  which  he  could  not 
cross,  but  this  river  was  more  likely  a  branch  of  the  Yacjui,  for 
the  friar  was  told  that  ten  days  beyond,  to  the  north,  there  w^as 
another  larger  river  settled  by  miany  people,  whose  houses  had 
three  stories,  and  whose  villages  v/ere  enclosed.  This  describes 
the  Rio  Grande  and  its  southern  settlements  perfectly,  so  that, 
had  he  been  on  the  Colorado,  or  even  the  Gila,  the  Rio  Grande 
could  not  have  been  described  as  "ten  days  to  the  north." 
Ulloa  took  possession  formally,  according  to  Spanish  custom, 
and  then  sailed  southward  again.  Though  he  had  not  found 
the  great  river,  he  had  determined  one  import^ynt  geographical 
point :  that  Lower  California  was  not,  as  had  been  supposed, 
an  island,  but  was  a  peninsula;  nevertheless  for  a  full  century 
thereafter  it  was  considered  an  island.  Had  Ulloa  followed  up 
the  rush  of  the  current  he  would  have  been  the  discoverer  of 
the  Colorado  River,  but  in  spite  of  his  marvelling  at  the  fury 
of  it  he  did  not  seem  to  consider  an  investigation  worth  while; 
or  he  may  have  been  afraid  of  wrecking  his  ships.  His  inertia 
left  it  for  a  bolder  man,  who  was  soon  in  his  wake.  But  the 
intrepid  soul  of  Cortes  must  have  been  sorely  disappointed  at 
the  meagre  results  of  this,  his  last  expedition,  which  had  cost 
him  a  large  sum,  and  compelled  the  pawning  of  his  wife's 
jewels.  The  discovery  of  the  mouth  of  a  great  river  would 
have  bestowed  on  this  voyage  a  more  romantic  importance, 
and  would  consequently  have  been  somewhat  healing  to  his  in- 
jured pride,  if  not  to  his  depleted  purse;  but  his  sun  was  set- 

'  From  Hakluyt's   Voyages.     The  spelling  has  been  modernised. 


Decline  of  Cortes  9 

ting.  This  voyage  of  UUoa  was  its  last  expiring  ray.  With 
an  artistic  adjustment  to  the  situation  that  seems  remarkable, 
Ulloa,  after  turning  the  end  of  the  peninsula  and  sailing  up  the 
Lower  Californian  coast,  sent  home  one  solitary  vessel,  and  van- 
ished then  forever.  Financially  wrecked,  and  exasperated  to 
the  last  degree  by  the  slights  and  indignities  of  his  enemies  and 
of  the  Mendoza  government,  Cortes  left  for  Spain  early  in 
1540  with  the  hope  of  retrieving  his  power  by  appearing  in 


Wytfliet-Ptolemy  Map  of  1597. 

From  Bancroft's  History  of  Arizona  and  New  Mexico. 


person  before  the  monarch.  As  in  the  case  of  Columbus,  scant 
satisfaction  was  his,  and  the  end  was  that  the  gallant  captain, 
whose  romantic  career  in  the  New  World  seems  like  a  fairy 
tale,  never  again  saw  the  scene  of  his  conquests. 

Mendoza,  the  new  viceroy  of  New  Spain,  a  man  of  fine 
character  but  utterly  without  sympathy  for  Cortes,  and  who 
was  instrumental  in  bringing  about  his  downfall,  now  deter- 
mined on  an  expedition  of  great  magnitude  :  an  expedition  that 


lO 


The  Colorado  River 


should  proceed  by  both  land  and  water  to  the  wonderful  Seven 
Cities  of  Cibola,  believed  to  be  rich  beyond  computation.  The 
negro  Estevan  had  lately  been  sent  back  to  the  marvellous 
northland  he  so  glowingly  described,  guiding  Marcos,  the  Fran- 
ciscan monk  of  Savoyard  birth,  who  was  to  investigate  care- 
fully, as  far  as  possible,  the  glories  recounted  and  speedily 
report.  They  were  in  the  north  about  the  same  time  (summer 
of  1539)  that  Ulloa  wa,s  sailivig  up  the  Sea  of  Cortes.     The 


■^1^ 


The  Lower  Colorado  at  the  "Line  Mesa  ' 
Photograph   by  D.   T.    MacDougal 


negro,  who  had  by  arrangement  proceeded  there  some  days  in 
advance  of  Marcos,  was  killed  at  the  first  Pueblo  village,  and 
]\Iarcos,  afraid  of  his  life,  and  before  he  had  seen  anything  of 
the  wonderful  cities  except  a  frightened  glimpse  from  a  distant 
hill,  beat  a  precipitate  retreat  to  New  Galicia,  the  province  just 
north  of  New  Spain,  and  of  which  Francis  Vasquez  de  Coro- 
nado  had  recently  been  made  governor.  Here  he  astonished 
Coronado  with  a  description  of  the  vast  wealth  and  beauty  of 
the  Seven  Cities  of  Cibola;  a  description  that  does  credit  to 


Coronado's  Expedition  n 

his  powers  of  imagination.  Coronado  lost  no  time  in  accom- 
panying Marcos  to  Mexico,  where  a  conference  with  Mendoza 
resulted  in  the  promotion  of  the  monk,  and  the  immediate  or- 
ganisation of  the  great  expedition  mentioned.  Coronado  was 
made  general  of  the  land  forces,  and  Hernando  de  Alar^on  was 
placed  in  charge  of  the  ships.  Having  a  land  march  to  make 
Coronado,  started  in  February,  1540,  while  Alar^on  sailed  in 
May.  Coronado  proceeded  to  San  Miguel  de  Culiacan,  the 
last  settlement  toward  the  north,  near  the  coast,  whence  he 
took  a  direction  slightly  east  of  north. 

Alar^on,  with  his  ships  the  Sail  Pedro  and  the  Santa  Cata- 
lina,  laid  a  course  for  the  haven  of  Sant  lago.  They  were 
caught  in  a  severe  storm  which  so  greatly  frightened  the 
men  on  the  Santa  Catalina,  "more  afraid  than  was  need," 
remarks  Alarcon,  that  they  cast  overboard  nine  pieces  of 
ordnance,  two  anchors,  one  cable,  and  "many  other  things  as 
needful  for  the  enterprise  wherein  we  went  as  the  ship  itself." 
At  Sant  lago  he  repaired  his  losses,  took  on  stores  and 
some  members  of  his  company,  and  sailed  for  Aguaiauall, 
the  seaport  of  San  Miguel  de  Culiacan,  where  Coronado 
was  to  turn  his  back  on  the  outposts  of  civilisation.  The 
general  had  already  gone  when  Alargon  arrived,  but  they  ex- 
pected to  hold  communication  with  each  other,  if  not  actu- 
ally to  meet,  farther  on ;  and  it  seems  from  this  that  they  must 
have  felt  confidence  in  finding  a  river  by  which  Alarcon  might 
sail  into  the  interior.  As  early  as  1531  there  were  vague  re- 
ports of  a  large  river,  the  mouth  of  which  was  closed  by  the 
Amerinds  living  there  by  means  of  a  huge  cable  stretched 
across  from  side  to  side.  There  may  also  have  been  other 
rumours  of  a  large  river  besides  the  surmises  of  the  Ulloa 
party.  At  any  rate,  Alarcon  and  Coronado  fully  expected  to 
be  in  touch  much  of  the  time.  This  expectation  appears  ab- 
surd to  us  now  when  we  understand  the  geography,  but  there 
was  nothing  out  of  the  way  about  the  supposition  at  that 
time.  As  it  happened,  the  two  divisions  never  met,  nor  were 
they  able  to  communicate  even  once.  So  far  as  rendering 
Coronado  any  assistance  was  concerned,  Alarcon  might  as  well 
have  been  on  the  coast  of  Africa.     The  farther  they  proceeded 


n 


s.  t 


^''fe  ^7/>/^a^l(^  ^fi'VX  i/jN^-  j*>^l:^  ■' 


i:.A^> 


■',  .'V, 


Western  Part  United  States. 

Relief  map  by  E.  E.  Howell. 


Tlie  flood  waters  sweep  westwar 
finding  a  nay  by  these  respectively  north,  into  the  vast  d 
inigaling  cooipaiiy  heading  at  the  river  not  far  below  Yuma,  was.  w 
that  way,  via  Calexlco,  into  the  Salion  basin,  foTming  a  huge  inland 
the  subsidence  of  the  floods.  Up  to  October,  igo6,  the  channel  I 
channel  from  near  Yuma  to  the  Gulf  of  California  was  without  waiei 
course;  but  in  December.  1906,  it  made  another  break  and  flow 
MacDoQgal,  been  over  ihc  region  a  great  deal.     Compare  maps  on  [ 


base  of  which  they  fonn 

south,  to  the  main  channel  again  near 

greatly  enlarged  by  the  floods  that  t 


;  Salton  Sea.     Godfrey  Sykes 


alton  lake  and  its  former 
;r  was  successfully  turned  into  its  regular 
who  made  this  map,  has,  with  Dr.  D.  T. 


P 


Alargon's  Discovery 


13 


the  farther  apart  they  were,  but  Alar^on  kept  a  constant  and 
faithful  lookout  for  the  other  party  the  whole  time,  never  los- 
ing an  opportunity  to  inquire  its  whereabouts. 

Coronado  had  left  a  well-provisioned  ship,  the  Scm  Gabriel, 
at  Aguaiauall,  for  Alar^on  to  bring  along.  These  supplies 
were  for  the  use  of  the  army  when  the  two  parties  should  meet 


•^HM^^ 


nil 


m 


Gulf  of  California  at  the  Mouth  of  the  Colorado. 

Photograph  by  Delancv  Gill. 


^ 


in  the  north  from  time  to  time.  Alarcon  added  the  vessel  to 
his  fleet  and  proceeded  along  up  the  coast,  keeping  as  near  the 
land  as  the  water  would  permit,  and  constantly  on  the  lookout 
for  signals  from  the  other  party,  or  for  Amerinds  who  might 
be  able  to  give  information  concerning  the  position  of  the  gen- 
eral. Thus,  at  last,  he  came  to  the  very  head  of  the  gulf  where 
Ulloa  had  wondered  at  the  rush  of  waters  and  had  turned  away 
without  investigation.      "And  when  we  were  come,"  he  says, 


14  The  Colorado  River 

"to  the  flats  and  shoals  from  whence  the  aforesaid  fleet  re- 
turned,  it  seemed  to  me,  as  to  the  rest,  that  we  had  the  firm 
land  before  us,  and  that  those  shoals  were  so  perilous  and  fear- 
ful that  it  was  a  thing  to  be  considered  whether  with  our  skiffs 
we  could  enter  in  among  them  :  and  the  pilots  and  the  rest  of 
the  company  would  have  had  us  do  as  Captain  Ulloa  did,  and 
have  returned  back  again."  But  Alar^on  was  not  of  a  retreat- 
ing disposition ;  the  fierce  Colorado  had  now  met  its  first  con- 
queror. It  must  be  remembered,  for  UUoa's  sake,  that  there 
was  not  the  same  incentive  for  him  to  risk  his  ships  and  the 
lives  of  his  men  in  an  attempt  to  examine  the  shoals  and  cur- 
rents of  this  dangerous  place.  Alargon  was  looking  for  and 
expecting  to  meet  Coronado  at  any  time.  He  knew  that  Cor- 
onado  was  depending  on  the  supplies  carried  by  the  San 
Gabriel,  and  it  would  have  been  rank  cowardice  on  the  part  of 
Alarcon  to  have  backed  out  at  the  first  difficulty.  But  he  had 
no  intention  of  retiring  from  the  contest,  for  he  says : 

"  But  because  your  Lordship  commanded  me  that  I  should  bring 
you  the  secret  of  that  gulf,  I  resolved  that  although  I  had  known 
I  should  have  lost  the  ships,  I  would  not  have  ceased  for  anything 
to  have  seen  the  head  thereof,  and  therefore  I  commanded  Nicolas 
Zamorano,  Pilot  Major,  and  Dominico  del  Castello  that  each  of  them 
should  take  a  boat,  and  lead  in  their  hands,  and  run  in  among  those 
shoals,  to  see  if  they  could  find  out  a  channel  whereby  the  ships 
might  enter  in  ;  to  whom  it  seemed  that  the  ships  might  sail  up 
higher  (although  with  great  travail  and  danger),  and  in  this  sort  I 
and  he  began  to  follow  our  way  which  they  had  taken,  and  within 
a  short  while  after  we  found  ourselves  fast  on  the  sands  with  all  our 
three  ships,  in  such  sort  that  one  could  not  help  another,  neither  could 
the  boats  succour  us  because  the  current  was  so  great  that  it  was 
impossible  for  one  of  us  to  come  to  another.  Whereupon  we  were 
in  such  great  jeopardy  that  the  deck  of  the  Admiral  was  oftentimes 
under  water  ;  and  if  a  great  surge  of  the  sea  had  not  come  and 
driven  our  ship  right  up  and  gave  her  leave,  as  it  were,  to  breathe 
awhile,  we  had  there  been  drowned  ;  and  likewise  the  other  two 
ships  found  themselves  in  very  great  hazard,  yet  because  they  were 
lesser  and  drew  less  water  their  danger  was  not  so  great  as  ours. 
Now  it  pleased  God  upon  the  return  of  the  flood  that  the  ships 


i6 


The  Colorado  River 


came  on  float,  and  so  we  went  forward.  And  although  the  com- 
pany would  have  returned  back,  yet  for  all  this  I  determined  to  go 
forward  and  to  pursue  our  attempted  voyage.  And  we  passed  for- 
ward with  much  ado,  turning  our  stems  now  this  way,  now  that 
way,  to  seek  and  find  the  channel.  And  it  pleased  God  that  after 
this  sort  we  came  to  the  very  bottom  of  the  bay,  where  we  found  a 
very  mighty  river,  which  ran  with  so  great  fury  of  a  stream,  that  we 
could  hardly  sail  against  it." 

Here,  then,  began  the  acquaintance  between  the  European 
and  the  river  now  known  as  the  Colorado  of  the  West.  The 
experience  of  Alargon  was  immediately  typical  of  much  that 
was  to  follow  in  the  centuries  of  endeav^our  to  arrive  at  an  inti- 
mate knowledi^e  of  this  savage  torrent. 


CHAPTER    II 


The  Unknown  River — Alarcon  Ascends  it  Eighty-five  Leagues  and  Names  it  the 
Rio  de  Buena  Guia—  Melchior  Diaz  Arrives  at  its  Banks  Later  and  Calls  it 
the  Rio  del  Tizon — Cardenas  Discovers  the  Crand  Canyon. 

HAVING  triumphed  over  the  fierce  tidal  bore  which  renders 
the  mouth  of  the  Colorado  dangerous,  Alarcon  secured  a 
safe  anchorage  for  his  vessels  and  began  immediate  preparations 
for  following  up  the  river  into  the  distant  interior,  both  to  gain 
a  knowledge  of  it  and  to  seek  for  information  of  the  position  of 
Coronado.  Leaving  one  of  his  small  boats  for  the  use  of  those 
who  remained  in  charge  of  the  ships,  he  took  the  other  two, 
and,  placing  in  them  some  light  cannon,  prepared  them  as  well 
as  he  could  for  any  emergency  that  might  be  encountered.  His 
party  consisted  of  twenty  soldiers,  sailors,  and  helpers,  besides 
his  treasurer,  Rodrigo  Maldonado,  and  Caspar  de  Castilleia, 
comptroller.  Alarcon  possessed  the  qualities  of  a  successful 
explorer.  He  was  bold  yet  cautious,  determined  but  not  reck- 
less, with  safe  judgment  and  quick  adaptability.  His  first 
command  was  that,  no  matter  what  happened  in  case  of  meet- 
ing with  natives,  all  his  company  were  to  remain  silent  and  in- 
active. With  this  wise  provision,  which  kept  the  control  in  his 
own  hands,  the  party  left  the  ships  behind  on  Thursday,  Au- 
gust 26th  '  (1540),  apparently  the  same  day  as  the  arrival.  The 
current  was  so  strong  that  the  men  were  obliged  to  tow  the 
boats  from  the  bank,  rendering  progress  slow  and  difficult, 
but  nevertheless  they  were  able,  before  night  and  fatigue  com- 
pelled a  halt,  to  advance  about  six  leagues.  Though  constantly 
on  the  lookout  for  natives  in  the  wide  barren  stretches  of  low- 
land on  each  side  of  the  river,  none  were  seen  till  early  next 
'  Hakluyt  gives  "  25th,"  but  it  is  a  misprint,  as  this  Thursday  in  1540  was  the 


26th. 


17 


i8 


The  Colorado  River 


morning,  when,  soon  after  starting,  a  number  of  huts  were  dis- 
covered near  the  river  bank.  The  occupants  rushed  forth  in 
great  excitement  at  the  sudden  appearance  of  these  singular- 
looking  people  in  their  equally  singular  boats,  and  no  wonder! 
Years  and  the  ages  had  slipped  away  and  never  yet  had  any 
people  but  their  own  kind  appeared  on  their  horizon.  Oppos- 
ition was  the  natural  impulse,  and  they  signed  for  the  Spaniards 
to  go  back,  threatening  attack.  The  effect  of  this  on  Alargon 
was  a  command  to  anchor  the  boats  out  of  reach  in  the  middle 

of  the  river,  though  the  rapidly 
augmenting  numbers  of  the 
people  on  the  shore  soon  in- 
spired the  others  of  the  expedi- 
tion with  a  desire  to  beat  a  retreat 
towards  the  ships.  Alarcon, 
however,  was  not  of  this  mind. 
The  natives  were,  of  course, 
armed  only  with  the  bow-and- 
arrow  and  similar  primitive 
weapons,  wdiile  the  Spaniards, 
though  few  in  number,  pos- 
sessed the  advantage  of  firearms, 
of  which  the  natives  had  no 
comprehension  whatever.  The 
interpreter,  being  a  native  from 
down  the  coast,  understood  not 
a  word  of  this  language,  but  the 
presence  among  the  strangers 
of  one  of  their  own  kind  some- 
what pacified  the  natives,  and  Alarcon  did  all  he  could  by 
signs  to  express  his  peaceful  intentions,  throwing  his  arms  to 
the  bottom  of  the  boat  and  putting  his  foot  on  them,  at  the 
same  time  ordering  the  boats  to  be  placed  nearer  shore.  After 
much  manoeuvring  they  finally  brought  about  some  trifling  in- 
tercourse and  then  proceeded  up  the  river,  the  natives  follow- 
ing along  the  shore.  Repeatedly  they  signalled  for  the 
Spaniards  to  land,  but  Alarcon,  fearful  of  treachery,  declined, 
and  spent  the  night  in  the  middle  of  the  stream.      Nor  was  the 


Native  Ladies  of  the  Lower  Colorado. 


Alargon  in  Favour 


19 


appearance  of  the  natives  reassuring,  for  they  had  their  faces 
hideously  painted,  some  all  over  and  others  only  half,  while 
still  others  carried  painted  masks  before  them.  In  their  nos- 
trils they  wore  pendants,  and  their  ears  were  pierced  with  holes 
wherein  they  hung  bones  and  shells.  Their  only  clothing  was 
a  sort  of  girdle  around  the  waist. 

Gradually,  intercourse  increased,  and  presents  of  trinkets 
seemed  to  incline  all 
the  natives  in  Alar- 
^on's  favour.  At 
length  he  discovered 
that  they  reverenced 
the  sun,  and  without 
compunction  he  pro- 
claimed that  he  came 
from  that  orb.  This 
deception  served  him 
well.  Henceforth  no 
service  was  too  great 
for  the  natives  to 
perform  for  these  sa- 
cred beings.  Every- 
thing was  placed  at 
their  disposal.  Alar- 
9on's  word  was  their 
law.  They  relieved 
the  men  entirely  of 
the  wearisome  task 
of  towing  the  boats, 
striving  with  each 
other  for  the  privi- 
lege. Without  this  help  it  would  have  been  impossible  for 
Alar^on  to  have  proceeded  far  up  the  river,  and  he  full}'  ap- 
preciated this,  though  the  chief  reward  bestowed  on  the  helpers 
and  all  the  natives  was  crosses  made  of  sticks  and  of  paper. 
These,  he  informed  them  by  signs,  were  precious,  and  he  dis- 
tributed them  in  large  numbers.  The  morning  after  he  pro- 
claimed himself  as  coming  from  the  sun,   many  swam  out  to 


Freaks  of  Erosion. 


One  of  the  Cocopa  Giants.     Height,  6  feet,  4  inches. 

The  costume  in  early  days  was  nothing. 
Photograph  by  Delaxcy  Gill. 


Sons  of  the  Sun 


21 


where  the  boat  was  anchored,  contending  for  the  privilege  of 
securing  the  rope  with  which  the  boat  was  towed.  "And  we 
gave  it  to  them,"  says  Alarcon,  "with  a  good  will,  thanking 
God  for  the  good  provision  which  He  gave  us  to  go  up  the 
river." 

The  interpreter  frequently  addressed  the  natives  as  he  went 
forward,  and  at  last,  on  Tuesday  night,  a  man  was  discovered 
who  understood  him.  This  man  was  taken  into  the  boat,  and 
Alarcon,  always  true  to 
his  trust,  asked  him 
whether  he  had  seen  or 
heard  of  any  people  in 
the  country  like  him- 
self, hoping  to  secure 
some  clue  to  Coronado. 
"He  answered  me  no, 
saying  that  he  had  some 
time  heard  of  old  men 
that  very  far  from  that 
country  there  were 
other  white  men,  and 
with  beards  like  us,  and 
that  he  knew  nothing 
else.  I  asked  him  also 
whether  he  knew  a  place 
called  Cibola  and  a  river 
called  Totonteac,  and 
he  answered  me  no." 

Coronado  meanwhile 
had   arrived    at    Cibola 

on  July  7th  (or  loth)  and  had  therefore  been  among  the  villages 
of  the  Rio  Grande  del  Norte  nearly  two  months.  The  route  to 
these  towns  from  the  lower  Colorado,  that  is,  by  the  great  inter- 
tribal highway  of  southern  Arizona,  followed  the  Gila  River, 
destined  afterwards  to  be  traversed  by  the  wandering  trappers, 
by  the  weary  gold-seeker  bound  for  California,  and  finally,  for 
a  considerable  distance,  by  the  steam  locomotive.  Rut  it  was 
an  unknown  quantity  at  the  time  of  Alar(^on's  visit,  so  far  as 


Komohoats. 

A  Pai  Ute  Boy— S.  W.  Nevada. 
Photograph  by  J.  K.  Hillers,  U.  S.  Geol.  Sur. 


2  2  The  Colorado  River 

white  men  were  concerned.  I'arther  up,  Alar^on  met  with  an- 
other  man  who  understood  his  interpreter,  and  this  man  said 
he  had  been  to  Cibola,  or  Ccvola,'  as  Alargon  writes  it,  and 
that  it  was  a  month's  journey,  "by  a  path  that  went  along  that 
river. ' '  Alar^on  must  now  have  been  about  at  the  mouth  of  the 
Gila,  and  the  river  referred  to  was,  of  course,  the  Gila.  This 
man  described  the  towns  of  Cibola  as  all  who  had  seen  them 
described  them;  that  is,  large  towns  of  three-  or  foc^r-storey 
houses,  with  windows  on  the  sides,'  and  encompassed  by  walls 
some  seven  or  eight  feet  in  height.  The  pueblos  of  the  Rio 
Grande  valley  were  well  known  in  every  direction  and  for  long 
distances.  The  Apaches,  harassing  the  villagers  on  every  side, 
and  having  themselves  a  wide  range,  alone  carried  the  know- 
ledge of  them  to  the  four  winds.  In  every  tribe,  too,  there  are 
born  travellers  who  constantly  visit  distant  regions,  bringing 
back  detailed  descriptions  of  their  adventures  and  the  sights 
beheld,  with  which  to  regale  an  admiring  crowd  during  the 
winter  evenings.  Their  descriptions  are  usually  fairly  accurate 
from  the  standpoint  of  their  own  understanding.  In  this  case 
the  native  gave  a  good  description  of  the  Cibola  towns,  and 
the  Tusayan  people  had  meanwhile  given  Cardenas  a  descrip- 
tion of  these  very  natives  on  the  lower  Colorado.  A  day  or 
two  later  Alargon  received  further  information  of  Cibola,  and 
this  informant  told  about  a  chief  who  had  four  green  earthen 
plates  like  Alarcon's,  except  in  color,  and  also  a  dog  like  Al- 
arcon's,  as  well  as  other  things,  which  a  black  man  had  brought 
into  the  country.  This  black  man  was  Estevan,  who  had  been 
killed  about  a  year  before.  The  new^s  of  this  man  and  his  ex- 
ecution had  travelled  rapidly,  showing  frequent  intercourse 
with  the  pueblos  beyond  the  mountains.  Still  farther  on  ue 
met  another  man  who  had  been  at  Cibola,  and  who  also  told 
him  of  a  great  river  in  which  there  were  crocodiles.     This  was 

'  The  old  Spaniards  used  "v"  and  "b"  interchangeably,  so  that  Cibola  and 
Cevola  would  be  pronounced  the  same.  Other  letters  were  used  in  the  same  loose 
way. 

•^Windows  on  the  sides  of  the  houses,  not  of  the  walls,  as  one  writer  has  put  it. 
The  villages  of  the  lower  part  of  New  Mexico  had  these  walls  of  circumvallatioii, 
but  to  the  northward  such  walls  appear  to  have  been  rare. 


The  Old  Man  of  the  River  23 

the  Mississippi,  of  course,  and  the  crocodiles  were  alligators. 
As  Alargon  had  never  seen  an  alligator  he  took  the  description 
to  mean  crocodile.  A  little  farther  and  he  heard  of  the  negro 
Estevan  again  and  the  reason  why  the  Cibolans  had  killed  him, 
which  was  to  prevent  the  Spaniards,  whom  he  described,  from 
finding  their  way  into  the  Cibola  country.  This  man  also  de- 
scribed the  bison  and  a  people  who  lived  in  painted  tents  in 
summer  and  in  winter  in  houses  of  wood  two  or  three  storeys 
high.  And  thus  the  expedition  continued  up  the  river,  inquir- 
ing as  they  went  on  all  subjects.  On  September  6th  the  old 
man  who  had  been  a  particular  friend  and  interpreter  was  called 
on  shore  by  the  natives,  and  there  was  immediately  an  animated 
discussion  which  Alar^on  discovered  related  to  himself.  Infor- 
mation had  come  from  Cibola  that  there  were  there  men  like 
these  Spaniards  who  said  they  were  Christians.  These  had 
been  warlike,  and  it  was  proposed  to  kill  all  of  Alar^on's  party 
to  prevent  the  others  from  gaining  a  knowledge  of  this  coun- 
try. But  the  old  man  declared  Alargon  to  be  the  son  of  the 
sun  and  took  his  part.  Finally  it  was  decided  to  ask  him 
whether  he  were  a  Christian  or  the  son  of  the  sun.  Alargon 
pretended  great  wonder  at  men  like  himself  being  at  Cibola, 
but  they  assured  him  it  was  true,  as  two  men  who  had  come 
from  there  reported  that  they  had  beards  and  guns  and  swords 
just  the  same.  Alar^on  still  insisted  that  he  was  the  son  of  the 
sun.  They  said  the  men  at  Cibola  said  the  same,  to  which 
Alar^on  replied  that  it  might  well  be,  and  if  so  they  need  have 
no  fear,  for  the  sons  of  the  sun  would  be  his  brothers  and 
would  treat  them  as  he  had  done.  This  seemed  to  pacify  them. 
He  inquired  now  how  far  it  was  to  Cibola,  and  they  answered 
ten  days  through  an  uninhabited  country,  with  no  account  of 
the  rest  of  the  way  because  it  was  inhabited. 

Alar^on  was  now  more  than  ever  desirous  of  informing  Cor- 
onado  of  his  whereabouts,  and  tried  to  persuade  some  of  his 
men  to  go  to  Cibola  with  a  message,  promising  fine  rewards. 
Only  one,  a  negro  slave,  and  he  with  reluctance,  offered  to  at- 
tempt the  journey.  Alar^on  tried  to  get  the  old  man  to  give 
him  guides  and  provisions,  but  without  success,  as  the  old  man 
seemed  to  desire  to  induce  Alar(jon  to  help  them  light  their 


24 


The  Colorado  River 


battles  with  the  Cumanas,  sayin*^,  if  he  would  end  this  war,  he 
could  have  their  company  to  Cibola.  Alar^on  was  determined 
to  go,  and  sent  a  man  back  to  the  ships  to  inform  those  there 
of  his  purpose,  but  he  changed  his  mind  soon  after,  concluding 
to  go  to  the  ships  himself  and  return,  leaving  there  his  sick,  and 
rearranging  his  compan\-.  The  man  who  had  been  sent  to  the 
ships  overland  was  overtaken  and  brought  back  by  the  natives, 
but   was   obliged  to  remain  with  them  till  Alar^on  came  up 


^fet5?#^'^;^ 


Professor  McGee   and   a   Group   of   Cocopas. 

Originally  the  Cocopas  wore  no  clothing. 
Photograph  by  Delancy  Gill. 


again.  The  descent  from  here  was  made  in  two  and  a  half 
days,  though  it  had  taken  fifteen  to  come  up.  Arriving  at  the 
ships  all  was  found  to  have  gone  well  except  a  few  minor  acci- 
dents, and,  directing  repairs  to  be  made,  Alar^on  turned  about 
and  started  up-river  once  more,  first  calling  the  whole  company 
together,  telling  them  w^hat  he  had  learned  of  Cibola,  and  that, 
as  Coronado  might  now  have  been  informed  by  natives  of  his 
presence,  he  hoped  to  find  means  of  reaching  him.    There  was 


Rio  de  Buena  Guia  25 

much  objection  to  this  plan,  but  he  proceeded  to  carry  it  out, 
taking  all  three  boats  this  time,  loaded  with  "wares  of  ex- 
change, with  corn  and  other  seeds,  with  hens  and  cocks  of 
Castile."  This  region  he  called  the  Province  of  Campanna  de 
la  Cruz,  and  he  left  orders  for  the  building  of  an  oratory  or 
chapel  to  be  named  the  Chapel  of  Our  Lady  de  la  Buena  Guia, 
The  river  he  called  the  Rio  de  Buena  Guia  (good  guidance) 
from  the  motto  on  the  viceroy  Mendoza's  coat  of  arms.  It 
was  Tuesday,  the  14th  of  September,  when  he  started,  taking 
with  him  Nicolas  Zamorano,  chief  pilot,  to  record  the  latitudes. 
He  soon  arrived  again  among  the  Quicomas,'  and  then  among 
the  Coamas,  where  he  found  his  man  who  had  been  left  behind 
on  the  first  trip.  This  man  had  been  so  well  treated  that  he 
was  entirely  content  to  remain  till  the  party  should  come  back 
down  the  river.  This  was  the  highest  point  reached  on  the 
first  visit.  Everywhere  the  people  were  treasuring  the  crosses 
which  had  been  given  them,  kneeling  before  them  at  sunrise. 
Alargon  kept  on  up  the  river  till  he  "entered  between  certain 
very  high  mountains,  through  which  this  river  passeth  with  a 
straight  channel,  and  the  boats  went  up  against  the  stream  very 
hardly  for  want  of  men  to  draw  the  same."  From  this  it  may 
be  inferred  that  the  Coamas  did  not  strive  with  each  other  for 
the  privilege  of  towing  the  boats  of  these  children  of  the  sun 
as  those  below  had  done.  Now  an  enchanter  from  the  Cu- 
manas  tried  to  destroy  the  party  by  setting  magic  reeds  in  the 
water  on  both  sides,  but  the  spell  failed  and  the  explorers  went 
on  to  the  home  of  the  old  man  who  had  been  so  good  a  friend 
and  guide  to  them.  At  this,  Alar^on's  farthest  point,  he 
caused  a  very  high  cross  to  be  erected,  on  which  words  were 
carved  to  the  effect  that  he  had  reached  the  place,  so  that  if 
Coronado's  men  chanced  to  come  that  way  they  might  see  it. 
Nothing  is  said  about  burying  letters,  yet  Diaz  later  mentions 
finding  letters  buried  at  the  foot  of  a  tree,  apparently  nearer 
the  sea.      Deciding  that  he  could  not  at  this  time  accomplish 

'  The  tribes  and  bands  spoken  of  by  Alar9on  cannot  be  identified,  but  these 
Quicomas,  or  Quicamas,  were  doubtless  the  same  as  the  Quiquimas  mentioned 
by  Kino,  1701,  and  Garces,  1775.  They  were  probably  of  Vuman  stock.  The 
Cumanas  were  possibly  Mohaves. 


O'S 


2^ 


«  & 


Return  to  the  Ships  27 

his  purpose  of  opening  communication  with  the  army,  Alar^on 
conchided  to  return  to  the  ships,  but  with  the  intention  of  try- 
ing once  more.  The  second  day  after  starting  down  he  arrived 
at  the  place  where  the  Spaniard  had  remained.  He  told  him 
that  he  had  gone  "above  thirty  leagues  into  the  country  "  be- 
yond. It  had  taken  him,  before,  two  and  a  half  days  to  reach 
the  river  mouth  from  here,  so  that  it  seems  he  was  about  four 
days  going  down  from  his  farthest  point.  Roughly  estimating 
his  progress  at  six  miles  an  hour  for  twelve  hours  a  day,  in  four 
days  the  distance  covered  would  be  about  288  miles.  He  says 
he  went  up  eighty-five  leagues  (this  would  be  fifty-five  the  first 
time  and  thirty  more  the  second),  which,  counting  in  Mexican 
leagues  of  two  and  three  quarter  miles  each,  gives  a  distance  of 
233I  miles,  or  about  one  hundred  miles  above  the  mouth  of  the 
Gila.  This  stream  he  does  not  mention.  He  may  have  taken 
it  for  a  mere  bayou,  but  it  appears  to  be  certain  that  he  passed 
beyond  it.  He  says  Ulloa  was  mistaken  by  two  degrees  as  to 
his  northernmost  point,  and  that  he  sailed  four  degrees  beyond 
him.  The  meaning  of  this  may  be  that  he  went  four  degrees 
beyond  Ulloa's  false  reckoning,  or  actually  two  degrees  above 
the  shoals  where  Ulloa  turned  back.  This  would  take  him 
to  the  34th  parallel,  and  would  coincide  with  his  eighty-five 
leagues,  and  also  with  the  position  of  the  first  mountains  met 
with  in  going  up  the  river,  the  Chocolate  range.  Alar^on  was 
not  so  inexperienced  that  he  would  have  represented  eighty- 
five  leagues  on  the  course  of  the  river  as  equalling  four  degrees 
of  latitude.  Had  he  gone  to  the  36th  degree  he  would  have 
passed  through  Black  Canyon,  and  this  is  so  extraordinary  a 
feature  that  he  could  not  have  failed  to  note  it  specially. 
When  Alar^on  arrived  at  the  ships  again  he  evidently  had 
strong  reason  for  abandoning  his  intention  of  returning  for 
another  attempt  to  communicate  with  Coronado,  and  he  set 
sail  for  home.  Another  document  says  the  torredo  was  de- 
stroying the  ships,  and  this  is  very  probable.  He  coasted 
down  the  gulf,  landing  frequently,  and  going  long  distances 
into  the  interior  searching  for  news  of  Coronado,  but  he 
learned  nothing  beyond  what  he  heard  on  the  river. 

While  he  was  striving  to  find  a  way  of  reaching  the  main 


28  The  Colorado  River 

body  of  the  expedition,  which  durin<^  this  time  was  compla- 
cently robbing  the  Puebloans  on  the  Rio  Grande,  two  officers 
of  that  expedition  were  marching  through  the  wilderness  en- 
deavouring to  find  him,  and  a  third  was  travelling  toward  the 
Grand  Canyon.  One  of  these  was  Don  Rodrigo  Maldonado, 
thus  bearing  exactly  the  same  name  as  one  of  Alar^on's  offi- 
cers; another  was  Captain  Melchior  Diaz,  and  the  third  Don 
Lopez  de  Cardenas,  who  distinguished  himself  on  the  Rio 
Grande  by  particular  brutality  toward  the  villagers.  Don 
Rodrigo  went  in  search  of  the  ships  down  the  river  to  the  coast 
from  the  valley  of  Corazones,  but  obtained  no  information  of 
them,  though  he  met  with  giant  natives  and  brought  back  with 
him  one  very  tall  man  as  a  specimen.  The  main  army  of  Cor- 
onado  had  not  yet  gone  from  this  valley  of  Corazones,  where 
the  settlement  called  San  Hieronimo  had  been  established,  and 
the  best  man  in  it  reached  only  to  the  chest  of  this  native 
giant. 

The  army  moved  on  to  another  valley,  where  a  halt  was 
made  to  await  orders  from  the  general.  At  length,  about  the 
middle  of  September,  Melchior  Diaz  came  back  from  Cibola, 
with  dispatches,  accompanied  by  Juan  Gallegos,  who  bore  a 
message  for  the  viceroy.  In  their  company  also  was  the  mis- 
erable Friar  Marcos,  pursuing  his  dismal  return  to  New  Spain 
by  direction  of  the  general,  who  considered  it  unsafe  for  him  to 
remain  with  the  army  now  that  the  glorious  bubble  of  his  im- 
agination had  been  exploded.  Melchior  Diaz  was  an  excellent 
officer,  and  already  had  an  experience  in  this  northern  region 
extending  over  some  four  years.  It  was  he,  also,  who  had 
been  sent,  the  previous  November,  as  far  as  the  place  called 
Chichilticalli,  in  an  attempt  to  verify  the  friar's  tale,  and  had 
reported  that  the  natives  were  good  for  nothing  except  to 
make  into  Christians.  The  main  army,  which  was  in  command 
of  Don  Tristan  de  Arellano,  in  accordance  with  the  orders  re- 
ceived from  Coronado,  now  advanced  toward  Cibola.  Mal- 
donado, who  had  been  to  the  coast,  went  with  it.  Diaz  retained 
eighty  men,  part  of  whom  were  to  defend  the  settlement  of 
San  Hieronimo,  and  twenty-five  were  to  accompany  him  on  his 
expedition  in  search  of  Alar(^on.      He  started  north  and  then 


Rio  del  Tizon 


29 


went  west,  following  native  guides  for  150  leagues  (4I2|-  milesj 
in  all,  and  at  length  reached  a  country  inhabited  by  giant  nat- 
ives who,  in  order  to  keep  warm  in  the  chill  autumn  air,  car- 
ried about  with  them  a  firebrand.  From  this  circumstance, 
Diaz  called  the  larue  river  he  found  here  the  Rio  del  Tizon. 


An  Arizona  Landscape. 

There  are  Navajo  Gardens  in  the  bottom  of  this  canyon. 

Photograph  by  E.  O.  Beaman. 


This  was  the  Buena  Guia  of  Alarcon.  The  natives  were  pro- 
digiously strong,  one  man  being  able  to  lift  and  carry  with  ease 
on  his  head  a  heavy  log  which  six  of  the  soldiers  could  not 
transport  to  the  camp.  Here  Diaz  heard  that  boats  had  come 
up  the  river  to  a  point  three  days'  journey  below,  and  he  went 
there  to  find  out  about  it,  doubtless  expecting  to  get  on  the 
track  of  Alarcon.      But  the  latter  had  departed  from  the  mouth 


\o 


The  Colorado  River 


of  the  river  at  least  two  or  three  weeks  before ;  one  writer  says 
two  months.'  The  same  writer  states  that  Diaz  reached  the 
river  thirty  leagues  above  the  mouth,  and  that  Alar9on  went 
as  far  again  above.  This  coincides  very  well  with  Alarcon's 
estimate  of  eighty-five  leagues,  for  Diaz  did  not  follow  the 
windings  of  the  stream  as  Alargon  was  forced  to  do  with  his 


Cocopa  Tule   Raft. 
Photograph  by  Delancy  Gill. 


boats.  At  the  place  down  the  river,  Diaz  found  a  tree  bearing 
an  inscription  :  "Alar^on  reached  this  point ;  there  are  letters 
at  the  foot  of  this  tree."  Alar^on  does  not,  as  before  noted, 
mention  burying  letters,  and  these  were  found  at  the  foot  of  a 


'  Rt-lacion  del  Suceso.  Alar^on  must  have  reached  his  highest  point  about 
October  5th  or  6th,  and  the  ships  on  the  return  about  the  loth.  Diaz  probably- 
arrived  at  the  river  about  November  1st. 


Death  of  Diaz  31 

tree,  so  that  Diaz  evidently  failed  to  reach  the  cross  erected  at 
Alargon's  highest  point. 

Diaz  now  proceeded  up  the  river  again,  looking  for  a  place 
where  he  could  safely  cross  to  explore  the  country  on  the  op- 
posite side.  After  ascending  from  the  spot  where  he  found 
the  letters  for  five  or  six  days,  he  concluded  they  could  cross 
by  means  of  rafts.  In  the  construction  of  these  rafts  he  invited 
the  help  of  the  natives  of  the  neighbourhood.  He  was  proba- 
bly up  near  the  Chocolate  Mountains  and  the  Cumanas,  who 
were  hostile  to  Alar^on,  and  whose  sorcerer  had  attempted  to 
destroy  him  by  means  of  the  magic  reeds.  They  had  been 
merely  waiting  for  an  opportunity  to  attack  Diaz,  and  they 
perceived  their  chance  in  this  assistance  in  crossing  the  river. 
They  readily  agreed  to  help  make  the  rafts,  and  even  to  assist 
in  the  crossing.  But  while  the  work  was  in  progress  a  soldier 
who  had  gone  out  from  the  camp  was  surprised  to  observe  a 
large  number  of  them  stealing  off  to  a  mountain  on  the  other 
side.  When  he  reported  this,  Diaz  caused  one  of  the  natives 
to  be  secured,  without  the  others  being  aware  of  it.  He  was 
tortured  till  he  confessed  that  the  plan  was  to  begin  the  attack 
when  some  of  the  Spaniards  were  across  the  river,  some  in  the 
water,  and  the  others  on  the  near  bank.  Thus  separated  they 
believed  they  could  easily  be  destroyed.  The  native,  as  a  re- 
ward for  this  valuable  confession,  was  secretly  killed,  and  that 
night,  with  a  heavy  weight  tied  to  him,  was  cast  into  the  deep 
water.  But  the  others  evidently  suspected  the  trick,  for  the 
next  day  they  showered  arrows  upon  the  camp.  The  Spaniards 
pursued  them  and  by  means  of  their  superior  arms  soon  drove 
them  into  the  mountains.  Diaz  was  then  able  to  cross  with- 
out molestation,  his  faithful  Amerind  allies  of  another  tribe 
assisting. 

Alar^oh  had  conveyed  in  his  letters  the  nature  of  the  gulf 
and  coast,  so  Diaz  struck  westward  to  see  what  he  could  find 
in  that  direction.  The  country  was  desolate  and  forbidding, 
in  places  the  sand  being  like  hot  ashes  and  the  earth  trembling. 
Four  days  of  this  satisfied  them,  and  the  captain  concluded  to 
return  to  San  Hieronimo.  The  subsequent  fate  of  Diaz  is  an- 
other illustration  of  how  a  man  may  go  the  world  round,  escap- 


2>2  The  Colorado  River 

ing  many  great  dangers,  and  then  be  annihilated  by  a  simple 
accident  that  would  seem  impossible.  A  dog  belonging  to  the 
camp  pursued  the  little  flock  of  sheep  that  had  been  driven 
along  to  supply  the  men  with  meat,  and  Diaz  on  his  horse 
dashed  toward  it,  at  the  same  time  hurling  a  spear.  The  spear 
stuck  up  in  the  ground  instead  of  striking  the  dog,  and  the 
butt  penetrated  the  captain's  abdomen,  inflicting,  under  the 
conditions,  a  mortal  wound.  The  men  could  do  nothing  for 
him  except  to  carry  him  along,  which  for  twenty  days  they 
did,  fighting  hostile  natives  all  the  time.  Then  he  died.  On 
the  1 8th  of  January  they  arrived  without  their  leader  at  the 
settlement  from  which  they  had  started  some  three  months 
before. 

Cardenas  with  twelve  men  had  meanwhile  gone  from  Cibola 
to  a  place  called  Tusayan,  or  Tucano,  situated  some  twenty  or 
twenty-five  leagues  north-westerly  from  Cibola,  from  whence 
he  was  to  strike  out  toward  the  great  river  these  natives  had 
described  to  Don  Pedro  de  Tobar,  who  recently  had  paid  them 
a  visit,  and  incidentally  shot  a  few  of  them  to  invite  submis- 
sion. Cardenas  was  kindly  received  by  the  people  of  Tusayan, 
who  readily  supplied  him  with  guides.  Having  lived  in  the 
country  for  centuries,  they  of  course  knew  it  and  the  many 
trails  very  well.  They  knew  the  highway  down  the  Gila  to  the 
Colorado,  and  they  told  Cardenas  about  the  tall  natives  living 
on  the  lower  part  of  it,  the  same  whom  Alargon  and  Diaz  had 
met.  In  the  direction  in  which  Cardenas  was  to  go  they  said 
it  was  twenty  days'  journey  through  an  unpopulated  country, 
when  people  would  again  be  met  with.  After  the  party  had 
travelled  for  twenty  days  they  arrived  at  a  great  canyon  of  the 
Colorado  River,  apparently  not  having  met  with  the  people 
mentioned.  If  Cardenas  started  from  the  Moki  towns,  as  has 
generally  been  believed,  where  would  he  have  arrived  by  a 
journey  of  twenty  days,  when  an  able-bodied  man  can  easily 
walk  to  the  brink  of  Marble  Canyon  from  there  in  three  or  four 
days?  Why  did  the  guides,  if  they  belonged  in  the  Moki 
towns,  conduct  Cardenas  so  far  to  show  him  a  river  which  was 
so  near?  The  solution  seems  to  be  that  he  started  from  some 
locality  other  than  the  present   Moki  towns.     That  is  to  say, 


The  Grand    Canyon   from    Bright   Angel    Hotel. 
12  miles  to  opposite  rim. 
Total  depth  here  between  5000  and  6000  feet. 
Photograph  by  Hall. 


33 


34  The  Colorado  River 

there  has  been  an  error,  and  these  Moki  towns  are  not  Tusa- 
yan.  Where  Cardenas  reached  the  great  canyon  the  river  came 
from  the  north-east  and  turned  to  the  sonth-sonth-ivcst.  There 
are  but  two  places  where  the  canyoned  river  in  Arizona  con- 
forms to  this  course,  one  at  Lee's  Ferry,  and  the  other  the 
stretch  from  Diamond  Creek  to  the  Kanab  Canyon.  The 
walls  being  low  at  Lee's  Ferry,  that  locality  may  be  excluded, 
for  where  Cardenas  first  looked  into  the  canyon  it  was  so  deep 
that  the  river  appeared  like  a  brook,  though  the  natives  de- 
clared it  to  be  half  a  league  wide.  Three  of  the  most  agile 
men,  after  the  party  had  followed  along  the  rim  for  three  days 
hunting  for  a  favourable  place,  tried  to  descend  to  the  water, 
but  were  unable  to  go  more  than  one-third  of  the  way.  Yet 
from  the  place  they  reached,  the  stream  looked  very  large,  and 
buttes  that  from  above  seemed  no  higher  than  a  man  were 
found  to  be  taller  than  the  great  tower  of  Seville.  There  can 
be  no  doubt  that  this  was  the  gorge  we  now  call  the  Grand 
Canyon.  No  other  answers  the  description.  Cardenas  said 
the  width  at  the  top,  that  is,  the  "outer"  gorge  with  its 
broken  edge,  was  three  or  four  leagues  or  more  in  an  air  line.* 
This  is  the  case  at  both  great  bends  of  the  river.  The  point 
he  reached  has  usually  been  put,  without  definite  reason,  at 
about  opposite  Bright  Angel  River,  say  near  the  letter  "L"  of 
the  word  "Colorado"  on  the  relief  map,  page  41  op.,  but  here 
the  river  comes  from  the  south-east  and  turns  to  the  north-iuest, 
directly  the  reverse  of  what  Cardenas  observed.  The  actual 
place  then  must  have  been  about  midway  of  the  stretch  referred 
to,  that  is,  near  the  letter  "A"  of  the  word  "Canon  "  on  the 
relief  map.  Where  he  started  from  to  arrive  at  this  part  of 
the  canyon  cannot  be  discussed  here  for  want  of  space,  but  the 
writer  believes  the  place  was  some  three  hundred  miles  south- 
east, say  near  Four  Peaks  on  the  new  Mexican  line."    Cardenas 

'  "  A  las  barrancas  del  rio  que  puestos  a  el  bado  [lado  ?]  de  ellas  parecia  al 
otro  bordo  que  aula  mas  de  tres  o  quatro  leguas  por  el  ayre." — Castaiieda,  in 
Winship's  monograph,  Fourteenth  Ann.  Rep.  Bureau  of  Ethnology,  p.  429. 

'  For  the  author's  views  on  Coronado's  route  see  the  Bulletin  of  the  American 
Geogra])hical  Society,  December,  1897.  Those  views  have  been  confirmed  by 
later  study,  the  only  change  being  the  shifting  of  Cibola  from  the  Florida  Moun- 
tains north-westerly  to  the  region  of  the  (iila.  See  map  p.  115,  Breaking  the 
Wilderness. 


Return  of  Coronado  35 

was,  therefore,  guided  along  the  southerly  edge  of  the  great 
Colorado  Plateau,  through  the  superb  Coconino  Forest,  where 
he  had  wood,  water,  and  grass  in  abundance.  The  locality  he 
reached  was  very  dry,  and  they  were  obliged  to  go  each  night 
a  long  distance  back  from  the  brink  to  procure  water.  For 
this  reason,  Cardenas  gave  up  trying  to  follow  the  canyon,  and 
returned  again,  by  way  of  Tusayan,  to  Cibola,  passing  on  the 
way  a  waterfall,  which  possibly  was  in  the  Havasupai  (Cataract) 
Canyon.  Castaneda,  the  chief  chronicler  of  the  Coronado  ex- 
pedition, says  the  river  Cardenas  found  was  the  Tizon,  "much 
nearer  its  source  than  where  Melchior  Diaz  crossed  it,"  thus 
showing  that  its  identity  was  well  surmised,  if  not  understood, 
at  that  time.  Nothing,  however,  was  known  of  its  upper 
course;  at  least  there  is  no  evidence  of  any  such  knowledge, 
though  the  natives  had  doubtless  given  the  Spaniards  some  in- 
formation regarding  it.  The  special  record  of  the  Cardenas 
expedition  was  kept  by  one  Pedro  de  Sotomayor,  but  it  has 
apparently  never  been  seen  in  modern  times.  It  is  probably  in 
the  archives  of  Spain  or  Mexico,  and  its  discovery  would  throw 
needed  light  on  the  location  of  Tusayan  and  the  course  Car- 
denas followed.'  The  distance  of  this  whole  region  from  a  con- 
venient base  of  supplies,  and  its  repellent  character,  prevented 
further  operations  at  this  period,  and  when  these  explorers 
traced  their  disappointed  way  homeward,  the  Colorado  was  not 
seen  again  by  white  men  for  over  half  a  century ;  and  it  was 
more  than  two  hundred  years  before  European  eyes  again 
looked  upon  the  Grand  Canyon. 

Coronado  proceeded  eastward  to  about  the  western  line  of 
Missouri,  and,  finding  colonisation  anywhere  in  the  regions 
visited  out  of  the  question,  he  returned  in  1542  to  Mexico, 
with  his  entire  army  excepting  a  couple  of  padres. 

'  It  may  be  noted  here  with  reference  to  the  location  of  Cibola,  Tiguex,  Tu- 
sayan, etc.,  that  too  much  heretofore  has  been  assumed.  The  explanations  pre- 
sented are  often  very  lame  and  unsatisfactory  when  critically  examined.  So  many 
writers  are  now  committed  to  the  errors  on  this  subject  that  it  will  be  a  hard 
matter  to  arrive  at  the  truth. 


CHAPTER    III 

The  Grand  Canyon — Character  of  the  Colorado  River — The  Water-Gods  ;  Erosion 
and  Corrasion — The  Natives  and  their  Highways — The  "  Green  River 
Valley"  of  the  Old  Trappers — The  Strange  Vegetation  and  Some  Singular 
Animals. 

THE  stupendous  chasm  known  as  the  Grand  Canyon,  dis- 
covered by  Cardenas  in  the  autumn  of  1 540,  is  the  most 
remarkable  feature  of  this  extraordinary  river,  and  at  the  same 
time  is  one  of  the  marvels  of  the  world.  Though  discovered 
so  long  ago  that  we  make  friends  with  the  conquistadores  when 
we  approach  its  history,  it  remained,  with  the  other  canyons  of 
the  river,  a  problem  for  329  years  thereafter,  that  is,  till  1869. 
Discovery  does  not  mean  knowledge,  and  knowledge  does  not 
mean  publicity.  In  the  case  of  this  gorge,  with  its  immense 
length  and  countless  tributary  chasms,  the  view  Cardenas  ob- 
tained was  akin  to  a  dog's  discovery  of  the  moon.  It  has  prac- 
tically been  several  times  re-discovered.  Indeed,  each  person 
who  first  looks  into  the  abj'ss  has  a  sensation  of  being  a  dis- 
coverer, for  the  scene  is  so  weird  and  lonely  and  so  incompre- 
hensible in  its  novelty  that  one  feels  that  it  could  never  have 
been  viewed  before.  And  it  is  rather  a  discovery  for  each 
individual,  because  no  amount  of  verbal  or  pictorial  description 
can  ever  fully  prepare  the  spectator  for  the  sublime  reality. 
E\'en  when  one  becomes  familiar  \\ith  the  incomparable  spec- 
tacle it  never  ceases  to  astonish.  A  recent  writer  has  well  said  : 
"The  sublimity  of  the  Pyramids  is  endurable,  but  at  the  rim  of 
the  Grand  Canyon  we  feel  outdone."  '  Outdone  is  exactly 
the  right  word.      Nowhere  else  can  man's  insitrnificance  be  so 


'  Harriet  Monroe,  Atlantic  Monthly,  June,  i(;02. 
36 


38  The  Colorado  River 

burned  into  his  soul  as  here,  where  his  int^enuity  and  power 
count  for  naught. 

Cardenas,  after  all,  was  only  one  of  the  discoverers.  He  was 
merely  the  first  white  man  who  saw  it.  When  was  it  that  the 
first  man  recoiled  from  the  edge  of  that  then  actually  unknown 


The  Work  of  Erosion. 

The  Witch  of  Endor  and  Cerberus. 
Photograph  by  J.  K.  Hillers,  U.  S.  Geol.  Survey. 


masterpiece  of  the  Water-gods,  who  so  persistently  plied  their 
tools  in  the  forgotten  ages?  He  was  the  real  discoverer  and  he 
will  never  be  known.  As  applied  to  new  countries — new  to 
our  race — the  term  "unknown"  is  relative.  Each  fresh  ex- 
plorer considers   his  the  deed   that   shall  permanently  be   re- 


The  Grand  Canyon 


39 


corded,  no  matter  who  has  gone  before,  and  the  Patties  and 
the  Jedediah  Smiths  are  forgotten.  In  these  later  years  some 
who  have  dared  the  terrors  of  the  merciless  river  in  the  Grand 
Canyon  spoke  of  it  as  the  "Great  Unknown,"  forgetting  the 


The  Work  of  Corrasion. 

Parunuweap  Canyon  of  the  Virgen  River,  Southern  Utah.      20  to  30 

feet  wide  and  1500  feet  deep  and  18  miles  long. 

Photograph  by  J.  K.  Hillers,  U.  S.  Geol.  Survey. 


deed  of  Powell ;  and  when  Lieutenant  Wheeler  laboriously  suc- 
ceeded in  dragging  his  boats  up  to  the  mouth  of  Diamond 
Creek,  he  said:  "A^f^rc^  the  exploration  is  completed,"  He  for- 
got the  deed  of  Powell.      A  recent  writer  mentions  the  north- 


40  The  Colorado  River 

western  corner  of  Arizona  as  a  "mysterious  wilderness."  '  He 
forj^u^t  that  it  was  thorout,dily  explored  years  ago.  Wilderness 
it  nia\-  be,  if  that  means  sparsely  settled,  but  mysterious? — no. 
It  is  all  known  and  on  record. 

The  Grand  Canyon  may  be  likened  to  an  inverted  mountain 
range.  Imagine  a  great  mountain  chain  cast  upside  down  in 
plaster.  Then  all  the  former  ridges  and  spurs  of  the  range 
become  tributary  canyons  and  gulches  running  back  twenty  or 
thirty  miles  into  the  surrounding  country,  growing  shallower 
and  shallower  as  the  distance  increases  from  the  central  core, 
just  as  the  great  spurs  and  ridges  of  a  mountain  range,  descend- 
ing, melt  finally  into  the  plain.  Often  there  are  parts  where 
the  central  gorge  is  narrow  and  precipitous,  just  as  a  mountain 
range  frequently  possesses  mighty  precipices.  But  it  is  an 
error  to  think  of  great  canyons  as  mere  slits  in  the  ground, 
dark  and  gloomy,  like  a  deep  well  from  whose  depths  stars 
may  be  sighted  at  midday.  Minor  canyons  sometimes  ap- 
proach this  character,  as,  for  example,  the  canyon  of  the  upper 
Virgen,  called  Parunuweap,  fifteen  hundred  feet  deep  and  no 
more  than  twenty  to  thirty  feet  wide,  with  vertical  walls,  but  I 
have  never  been  in  a  canyon  from  which  stars  were  visible  in 
daylight,  nor  have  I  ever  known  anyone  who  had.  The  light 
is  about  the  same  as  that  at  the  bottom  of  a  narrow  street 
flanked  by  very  high  buildings.  The  walls  may  sometimes  be 
gloomy  from  their  colour,  or  may  seem  so  from  the  circum- 
stances under  which  one  views  them,  but  aside  from  the  fact 
that  any  deep,  shut-in  valley  or  canyon  may  become  oppressive, 
there  is  nothing  specially  gloomy  about  a  deep  canyon.  The 
sun  usually  falls  more  or  less  in  every  canyon,  no  matter  how 
narrow  or  deep.  It  may  fall  to  the  very  bottom  most  of  the 
day,  or  only  for  an  hour  or  two,  depending  on  the  trend  of 
the  canyon  with  reference  to  the  sun's  course.  At  the  bottom 
of  the  Kanab  where  it  joins  the  Grand,  the  sunlight  in  Novem- 
ber remains  in  the  bottom  just  two  hours,  but  outside  in  the 
main  gorge  the  time  is  very  much  longer. 

The  walls  of  a  great  canyon,  and  usually  a  small  one,  are  ter- 
raced ;  seldom  are  they  wholly  vertical  for  their  entire  height, 
'  Ray  Stannard  Baker,  Century  Magazine.  May,  1902. 


f 


\ 


'^«.<— '•— w-'' 


^.vr'..^ 


c^-^^f':^,^^^--^;  ifj:.. 


I  ~Vx     ^  -       _CJ' 


I  Plateau  iu«  Car 


inly  Into  the  Habasii  ICal 


^^. 

„„,.i„,„gm„rfm.r.l 

s  than  any  other  p 

art  of  th 

to  rcprcscn 

Archsan  fonjiation. 

Tht  Shiwits  Pla 

teau   ant] 

liffi  lire  Trio. 

isic.     The  Maifcaeuni 

latcaus 

bout  half  wa 

y  between  the  jetttn 

L"  and  "O"  of 

he  word 

A"  of  the  w. 

d  "Ariiionfl."^'  Grand 

and  Marble  Cany 

□ns  form 

couple  of  hun 

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rapidly,  the  river 

cultin«d 

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r™"j  at  the  timet 

he  ^TermapT:^ 

made 

Recession  of  Cliffs 


41 


though  occasionally  they  may  approach  this  condition  on  one 
side  or  the  other,  and  more  rarely  on  both  sides  at  once,  de- 
pending on  the  geological  formations  of  the  locality.  Owing 
to  the  immense  height  of  the  walls  of  such  canyons  as  those 
on  the  Colorado,    the   cliffs    frequently  appear   perpendicular 


The  "  Hole  in  the  Wall,"  near  Ft.  Defiance,  Arizona. 

This  kind  of  sandstone  has  the   peculiarity  of  weathering  in  this  way, 
sometimes  producing  larger  arches,  alcoves,  etc. 
Photograph  by  Ben  Wittick. 


when  they  are  far  from  it,  just  as  a  mountain  peak  often  seems 
to  tower  over  one's  head  when  in  reality  it  may  be  a  consid- 
erable distance  off.  In  the  nature  of  the  formation  and  devel- 
opment of  canyons,  they  could  not  long  retain  continuous 
vertical  walls.  What  Powell  calls  the  "recession  of  cliffs" 
comes  into  play.      The  erosive  and  corrasive  power  of  water 


42  The  Colorado  River 

beini;  the  chief  land  sculptors,  it  is  evident  that  there  will  be  a 
continual  wearing  down  of  the  faces  of  the  bounding  cliffs. 
The  softer  beds  will  be  cut  away  faster  than  the  harder,  and 
where  these  underlie  the  harder  the  latter  will  be  undermined 
and  fall.  Every  canyon  is  always  widening  at  its  top  and 
sides,  through  the  action  of  rain,  frost,  and  wind,  as  well  as 
deepening  through  the  action  of  its  flowing  stream.  Erosion 
is  this  power  w^iich  carves  away  the  cliffs,  and  corrasion  the 
one  which  saws  at  the  bottom,  the  latter  term,  in  geological 
nomenclature,  meaning  the  cutting  power  of  running  water.' 
This  cutting  power  varies  according  to  the  declivity  and  the 
amount  of  sediment  carried  in  suspension.  It  is  plain  that  a 
stream  having  great  declivity  will  be  able  to  carry  more  sedi- 
ment than  one  having  little,  and  in  a  barren  country  would 
always  be  highly  charged  with  sand,  which  would  cut  and  scour 
the  bed  of  the  channel  like  a  grindstone.  As  Button  says,  a 
river  cuts,  however,  only  its  own  width,  the  rest  of  a  canyon 
being  the  work  of  the  forces  of  erosion,  the  wind,  frost,  and 
rain.  That  is  why  we  have  canyons.  The  powers  of  erosion 
are  far  slower  than  those  of  corrasion,  especially  in  an  arid 
region,  because  they  are  intermittent.  Where  rocks  take  a 
polish,  as  in  Marble  Canyon,  the  scouring  and  polishing  work 
of  corrasion  is  seen  in  the  shining  bright  surface  as  far  as  the 
water  rises.  This  all  belongs  to  the  romance  of  the  Water- 
gods,  those  marvellous  land  sculptors. 

To  produce  canyons  like  those  of  the  Colorado,  peculiar 
and  unusual  conditions  are  necessary.  There  must  exist  a  vast 
region  lying  high  above  sea-level.  This  region  must  be  arid. 
Out  of  it  must  rise  separated  mountain  masses  to  such  heights 
that  they  shall  be  well  watered.  These  most  elevated  regions 
alone  having  abundant  rain-  and  snowfall,  torrential  streams 
are  generated  and  poured  down  upon  the  arid  wastes,  where 
they  persistently  scour  their  beds,  ploughing  deep  channels  be- 
low the  level  of  their  surroundings.  The  perpendicularity  of 
the  walls  of  these  channels,  or  canyons  as  they  are  called,  de- 

'  The  introduction  of  this  subject  may  seem  unnecessary  to  the  general  reader, 
but  no  just  comprehension  of  this  river  can  be  reached  without  some  knowledge 
of  the  forces  creatine  its  chasms. 


Looking  down  upon  Glen  Canyon. 

Cut  through  homogeneous  sandstone. 
Photograph  by  J.  K.  Killers,  U.  £.  Colo.  Riv    Exp. 


43 


44  The  Colorado  River 

pends  on  the  volume  and  continuity  of  the  flowing  stream,  on 
the  aridity  of  the  country  through  which  they  are  cut,  and 
on  the  rock-formation.  A  fierce  and  continuous  torrent,  where 
the  rainfall  is  at  the  minimum,  will  so  speedily  outrival  the 
forces  of  erosion  that  the  canyon  will  have  vertical  walls.  An 
example  is  seen  in  those  frequent  "mud"  canyons  found  in 
arid  regions,  where  some  brook,  having  its  source  in  highlands, 
cuts  a  channel  through  clay  or  dry  earth  with  vertical  sides, 
that  stand  for  years.  As  long  as  the  surface  of  the  adjacent 
lands  is  undisturbed,  it  acts  like  a  roof,  throwing  off  the  water 
that  falls  upon  it  into  the  main  stream.'  Thus  the  founda- 
tions of  these  walls  are  not  assailed  from  behind,  which  is  their 
weakest  point.  If  the  land  surface  is  broken  up,  permitting  the 
rains  to  soak  in  and  saturate  the  clay  or  earth,  the  whole  mass 
becomes  softened  and  will  speedily  fall  and  slide  out  into  the 
canyon.^  The  sides  of  all  canyons  in  an  arid  region  are  more 
or  less  protected  in  the  same  way.  That  is,  the  rains  fall  sud- 
denly, rarely  continuously  for  any  length  of  time,  and  are  col- 
lected and  conducted  away  immediately,  not  having  a  chance  to 
enter  the  ground.  Homogeneous  sandstone  preserves  its  per- 
pendicularity better  than  other  rocks,  one  reason  being  that  it 
does  not  in\ite  percolation,  and  usually  offers,  for  a  consider- 
able distance  on  each  side  of  the  canyon,  barren  and  imper- 
vious surfaces  to  the  rains.  Where  strata  rest  on  exposed 
softer  beds,  these  are  undermined  from  the  front,  and  in  this- 
way  recession  is  brought  about. 

In  the  basin  of  the  Colorado  are  found  in  perfection  all  the 
extraordinary  conditions  that  are  needed  to  bring  forth  mam- 
moth canyons.  The  headwaters  of  all  the  important  tribu- 
taries are  invariably  in  the  highest  regions  and  at  a  long  distance 
from  their  mouths,  so  that  the  flood  waters  have  many  miles 
of  opportunity  to  run  a  race   with  the  comparatively   feeble 

'  Just  as  wheat  flour  getting  wet  on  the  surface  protects  the  portion  below  from 
dampness.  The  rainfall  is  often  so  slight,  also,  that  a  surface  is  unchanged  for 
years.  I  once  saw  some  wagon  tracks  that  were  made  by  our  party  three  years 
before.      P'rom  peculiar  circumstances  I  was  able  to  identify  them. 

*  Robert  Brewster  Stanton  explained  this  very  clearly  in  his  investigations  for 
the  Canadian  Pacific  Railway  into  the  causes  of  land-slides  on  that  line. 


Effect  of  More  Rain 


45 


erosive  forces  of  desert  lands.  The  main  stream-courses  are 
thus  in  the  lower  arid  regions  and  in  sedimentary  formations, 
while  their  water-supply  comes  from  far  away.  The  deepest 
gorges,  therefore,  will  be  found  where  the  rainfall  is  least,  un- 
less diminishing  altitude  interferes.  Thus  the  greatest  gorge 
of  the  whole  basin,  the  Grand  Canyon,  is  the  one  farthest  from 


Pinnacle  in  the  Canyon  de  Chelly. 

About  1500  feet  liigh.       It  is  much  wider  from  the  side. 
Photograph  by  Ben  Wittick. 


the  sources  of  supply,  and  in  the  driest  area,  but  one,  of  the 
whole  drainage  system.  It  ends  abruptly  with  the  termination 
of  the  high  arid  plateau  which  made  it  possible,  but  had  this 
plateau  extended  farther,  the  Grand  Canyon  would  also  ha\'e 
extended  a  similar  distance.  It  is  plain  then  that  the  cutting 
of  these  canyons  depends  on  the  amount  of  water  (^snow  is 


46  The  Colorado  River 

included)  which  may  fall  in  the  high  mountains,  the  canyons 
themselves  being  in  the  drier  districts.  It  is  also  clear  that  if, 
by  some  chance,  the  precipitation  of  the  high  sources  should 
increase,  the  corrasion  of  the  stream-beds  in  the  canyons  would 
likewise  increase  and  outrun  with  still  greater  ease  the  erosion 
of  their  immediate  surroundings.  On  the  other  hand,  if  the 
precipitation  in  the  arid  surroundings  should  increase,  the 
wearing  down  of  the  side  walls  would  for  a  time — till  covered 
b\-  debris  and  vegetation — go  on  more  rapidly  till,  instead  of 
canyons  of  the  Colorado  River  type,  there  would  be  deep,  sharp 
valleys,  or  wide  valleys,  according  to  the  amount  of  difference 
between  the  precipitation  of  the  low  lands  and  the  high.  Where 
the  two  were  nearly  the  same,  that  is,  a  balance  of  precipita- 
tion,' the  slopes  might  be  rounded  and  verdure-clad,  though 
this  would  depend  on  the  amount  of  precipitation.  On  lower 
Snake  River  a  change  seems  to  be  going  on.  The  former  can- 
yon-cliffs are  covered  by  debris  and  vegetation,  but  in  places 
the  old  dry  cliff-lines  can  be  discerned  beneath  like  a  skeleton. 
The  precipitation  there  has  not  been  great  enough  to  destroy 
the  old  lines — only  enough  to  mask  them. 

The  "inner  gorge  "  of  the  Grand  Canyon  appears  to  have 
been  cut  far  more  rapidly  than  the  outer  one,  and  at  a  much 
later  period.  Were  this  not  the  case  there  would  be  no  inner 
gorge.  It  is  a  singular  fact  that  some  side  canyons,  the 
Kanab,  for  example,  while  now  possessing  no  running  water, 
or  at  best  a  puny  rivulet,  and  depending  for  their  corrasion  on 
intermittent  floods,  meet  on  equal  terms  the  great  Colorado, 
the  giant  that  never  for  a  second  ceases  its  ferocious  attack. 
Admitting  that  the  sharper  declivity  of  the  Kanab  would  en- 
hance its  power  of  corrasion,  nevertheless  we  should  expect  to 
see  it  approach  the  Grand  Canyon  by  leaps  and  bounds,  like 
the  Havasupai  farther  down,  but,  on  the  contrary,  there  are 
parts  that  appear  to  be  at  a  standstill  in  corrasion,  or  even  fill- 
ing up,  and  its  floor  is  a  regular  descent,  except  for  the  last 
three  or  four  miles  where  the  canyon  is  clogged  by  huge  rocks 
that  seem  to  have  fallen  from  above.     The  maximum  height  of 

'  There  could  be  a  balance  of  precipitation  and  still  very  little  snow-  or  rainfall, 
or  they  might  be  very  great. 


Effect  of  Glacial  Waters 


47 


its  present  flood-waters  is  about  six  feet,  proved  by  a  fern-cov- 
ered calcareous  deposit,  projecting  some  fifteen  feet,  caused  by 
a  spring  (Shower-Bath  Spring)  on  the  side  of  the  wall,  seven  or 
eight  miles  above  the  mouth,  which  is  never  permitted  by  the 
floods  to  build  nearer  the  floor  of  the  canyon.  A  suspicion 
arises,  on  contemplating  some  of  these  apparent  discrepancies, 
that  the  prevailing  conditions  of  corrasion  are  not  what  they 
were  at  some  earlier  period,  when  they  were  such  that  it  was 


Bad  Lands  on  Black's  Fork  of  Green  River. 

Photograph  by  U    S.  Geol.  Survey- 


rendered  more  rapid  and  violent ;  that  there  was  perhaps  an 
epoch  when  these  deep-cut  tributary  canyons  carried  perennial 
streams,  and  when  the  volume  of  the  Colorado  itself  was  many 
times  greater,  possessing  a  multiplied  corrasive  power,  while 
the  adjacent  areas  were  about  as  arid  as  now.  At  such  a  time, 
perhaps,  the  Colorado  performed  the  main  work  of  the  inner 
gorge,  the  Kanab,  and  similar  affluents,  their  deep  now  rather 
evenly  graded  canyons.  Such  an  increase  of  volume,  if  we 
suppose  the  aridity  to  remain  as  now,  could  have  come  about 


48 


The  Colorado  River 


only  by  an  increase  of  precipitation  on  the  mountain  summits. 
During  the  Ghicial  Epoch,  the  Rocky  Mountain  summits  were 
considerably  glaciated,  the  amount  varying  according  to  alti- 
tude and  latitude.  The  general  topography  of  the  Colorado 
River  was  about  as  it  is  to-day,  and  the  rainfall  m  the  valleys 
])robably  nearl\-  the  same,  or  at  least  only  a  little  greater.      In 

other  words,  the 
conditions  were 
those  of  to-day 
intensified.  In 

summer,  then,  the 
amount  of  wate.r 
seeking  outlet  by 
these  drainage 
channels  to  the  sea 
was  enormously 
multiplied,  and  the 
corrasive  power 
was  correspond- 
ingly augmented. 
When  the  ice  caps 
finally  began  to 
permanently  dim- 
inish, the  summer 
floods  were  doubt- 
less terrific.  The 
waters  of  the  Colo- 
rado now  rise  in 
the  Grand  Can- 
yon, on  the  melt- 
ing of  the  snows  in  the  distant  mountains,  from  forty  to  one 
hundred  feet ;  the  rise  must  then  have  amounted  to  from  one 
hundred  to  four  hundred  or  more.  The  Kanab  heads  in  two 
very  high  regions — the  Pink  ClifTs  and  the  Kaibab.  Though 
probably  not  high  enough  to  be  heavily  glaciated  they  were 
high  enough  to  receive  an  increased  snowfall  and  to  hold  it,  or  a 
portion  of  it,  over  from  one  year  to  another.  Thus  the  canyons 
having  their  origin  on  these  high  regions  would  be  given  peren- 


In  Lower  Kanab  Canyon. 

Width  about  75  feet,  depth  2500  to  3000. 
Photograph  by  E   O   Beaman 


Backward  Drainage 


49 


nial  streams,  with  torrential  floods  each  summer,  compared  with 
which  anything  that  now  comes  down  the  Kanab  would  be  a 
mere  rivulet.  The  summit  of  the  Kaibab  is  covered  with  pecu- 
liar pocket-like  basins  having  no  apparent  outlets.  These  were 
possibly  glacial  sinks,  conducting  away  some  of  the  surplus 
water  from  the  melting  snow  and  ice  by  subterranean  channels. 
It  seems  probable,  therefore,  that  glacial  flood-waters  were  an 
important  factor  in  the  formation  of  the  canyons  of  the  Col- 
orado.    If  this  supposition  is  correct  it  would  account,  at  least 


The  Pink  Cliffs. 

Southern  end  of  High  Plateaus. 
Photograph  by  J.  K.  Hillers,  U.  S.  Geol.  Survey. 


in  a  measure,  for  that  distinct  impression  of  arrested  activity 
one  receives  from  the  present  conditions  obtaining  there.' 

The  drainage  at  the  edges  of  most  canyons  is  back  and  away 
from  the  gorge  itself.     The  reason  is  that  the  rains  cannot  flow 

'  Some  canyon  floors,  where  there  is  no  permanent  large  stream,  appear  to  have 
altogether  ceased  descending.  Dutton  says  of  those  which  drain  the  Terrace 
Plateaus  :  "  Many  of  them  are  actually  filling  up,  the  floods  being  unable  to  carry 
away  all  the  sand  and  clay  which  the  infrequent  rains  wash  into  them." — Tertiary 
History,  p.  50.      See  also  pp.  ig6  and  228  lb. 


50 


The  Colorado  River 


evenly  over  a  canyon  brink,  owing  to  irregularities  of  surface, 
and  once  an  irregular  drainage  is  established,  the  water  seeks 
the  easiest  road.  A  side  canyon  is  formed,  draining  a  certain 
area.  Another  is  formed  elsewhere,  and  another,  and  so  on 
till  all  drainage  is  through  these  tributaries  and  azuaj'  from  the 
brink,  by  more  or  less  circuitous  channels  to  the  main  stream. 
This  backward  drainage  leaves  the  immediate  brink,  or  "rim," 
till  the  last,  in  its  work  of  erosion  and  corrasion,  and  the  rim 
consequently  is  left  higher  than  the  region  away  from  it.  This 
effect  of  a  backward  drainage  is  very  plain  on  both  sides  of  the 
Grand  Canyon,  though  it  is  somewhat  assisted,  on  the  north  at 


.,»,#L    ...    


Towers  at  Short  Creek.     Southern  Utah. 

This  is  a  part  of  the  great  line  of  the  V^ermilion  Cliffs.     The  region  here  represented  possesses  some 

of  the  most  magnificent  scenery  of  the  whole  West 

Outline  drawing  by  W.  H.  Holmes. 


least,  by  the  backward  dip  of  the  strata.      It  may  be  modified 
by  other  conditions,  so  that  it  would  not  always  be  the  case. 

The  basin  of  the  Colorado,  excepting  that  part  below  the 
mouth  of  the  Virgen  and  a  portion  among  the  "parks  "  of  the 
w^estern  slope  of  the  Rocky  Mountain  range,  is  almost  entirely 
a  plateau  region.  Some  of  the  plateaus  are  very  dry;  others 
rise  above  the  arid  zone  and  are  well  watered.  The  latter  are 
called  the  "High  Plateaus."  They  reach  an  altitude  of  eleven 
thousand  feet  above  the  sea.  They  are  east  of  the  Great  Basin, 
and  with  the  other  plateaus  form  an  area  called  by  Powe!! 
"The  Plateau  Province."      Eastward  still  the  plateaus  merge 


^y-^xrX 


JiA.^^?^. 


■c* 


1    %f     I 


<^l 


r2.    ^ 


'^^^i!^i\ 


""""^  -I? 


A 


SI 


52 


The  Colorado  River 


into  the  "parks."  The  High  Plateaus,  as  a  topographical 
feature,  are  a  southern  continuation  of  the  Wasatch  Mount- 
ains. They  terminate  on  the  south  in  the  Markagunt,  the 
Paunsagunt,  and  the  Aquarius  Plateaus.  The  extreme  south- 
ern extremities  of  the  two  former  are  composed  of  mighty  pre- 
cipices of  columnarly  eroded  limestone  called  the  Pink  Cliffs. 
Here  is  the  beginning  of  the  Terrace  Plateaus,  likewise 
bounded  by  vertical,  barren  cliffs.     Between  the  High  Plateaus 


Gray's  Peak,  14,341  feet.  Torrey's  Peak,  14,336  feet. 

Tip-top  of  the  Continental  Divide  whence  the  Colorado  derives  flood  waters 
Photograph  by  U.  S.  Geol.  Survey. 


and  the  parks,  the  plateaus  may  be  called,  for  convenience, 
Mesa  Plateaus,  as  they  are  generally  outlined  by  vertical  cliffs. 
This  is  the  case  also  south  of  the  end  of  the  High  Plateaus 
where,  stepping  down  the  great  terraces,  we  arrive  at  the  region 
immediately  adjacent  to  the  Grand  Canyon,  composed  of  four 
plateaus,  three  of  them  of  mesa  character,  the  Shevwits,  Uin- 
karet,  Kanab,  and  Kaibab ;  and  up  at  the  head  of  Marble 
Canyon  a  fifth,  the  Paria,  while  still  farther  to  the  north-east- 
ward is  the  Kaiparowitz.     The  edges  of  these  Mesa  Plateaus, 


The  Plateaus 


53 


precipitous  cliffs,  stretch  for  many  miles  across  the  arid  land 
like  mountain  ranges  split  asunder.  This  region,  lying  between 
the  High  Plateaus,  the  Grand  Wash,  the  Henry  Mountains, 
and  the  Colorado,  is  perhaps  the  most  fascinating  of  all  the 
basin.      The  relief  map  at  page  41  gives  the  larger  part  of  it. 


'^^. 


«^  ■'•-«- 


Balanced  Rock. 

On  Trail  from  House  Rrick  Valley  to  Lee's  Ferry. 
Photograph  by  E.  O.  Beaman. 

In  the  basin  there  are  also  great  mountain  masses,  the 
fountainheads  of  the  waters  which  have  carved  the  canyons. 
These  are  Uinta,  Zuni,  San  Francisco,  Henry,  Pine  Valley, 
Uinkaret,  Beaver  Dam,  Virgen,  Navajo,  La  Sal,  and  others, 
some  reaching  an  altitude  of  more  than  twelve  thousand  feet. 
The  highest  peaks  of  these,  and  of  course  those  of  the  Continen- 
tal Divide  on  the  east,  which  furnish  a  large  proportion  of  the 


54  The  Colorado  River 

water  of  the  Colorado,  and  the  Wind  River  Mountains  on  the 
extreme  north,  have  snow-banks  throughout  the  summer.  To 
show  how  dependent  the  Colorado  is  on  the  hii^h  peaks  for 
its  flood-waters,  1  will  mention  that  it  is  not  till  the  snows  of 
these  high  altitudes  are  fiercely  attacked  by  the  sun  in  May 
and  June  that  the  river  has  its  annual  threat  rise.  It  would  take 
onl}'  a  slii;ht  lowerint^  of  the  mean  annual  temperature  now  to 
furnish  these  peaks  with  ice  caps.  The  rainfall  in  the  lower 
arid  re^^ions  is  from  three  to  ten  inches,  increasing  northward 
to  fifteen  and  twenty-five.  On  the  peaks,  of  course,  it  is  much 
greater.  Almost  any  climate  can  be  had,  from  the  hot  arid  to 
the  wet  frigid.  On  the  lower  stretches,  from  Mohave  down, 
the  thermometer  in  summer  stands  around  1 12°  F.  a  great  deal 
of  the  time,  and  reaches  118°  F.  Yet  Dr.  Coues  said  he  felt 
it  no  more  than  he  did  the  summer  heat  of  New  York  or  Wash- 
ington.' In  winter  the  temperature  at  the  bottom  of  the 
Grand  Canyon  is  very  mild,  and  flowers  bloom  most  of  the 
time.  One  November  I  descended  from  the  snow-covered  top 
of  the  Kaibab  to  the  Grand  Canyon  at  the  mouth  of  the 
Kanab,  where  I  was  able  to  bathe  in  the  open  air  with  entire 
comfort. 

There  are  six  chief  topographical  features,  canyons,  cliffs, 
valleys,  mesa  plateaus,  high  plateaus,  mountains.  There  are 
two  grand  divisions :  the  lowland  or  desert,  below  the  Virgen, 
and  the  plateau,  but  the  topography  of  the  immediate  river 
course  separates  itself  into  four  parts,  the  Green  River  Valley, 
the  canyon,  the  valley-canyon,  and  the  alluvial.  The  canyon 
part  is  the  longest,  occupying  about  two-thirds  of  the  whole, 
or  about  1200  miles.  It  is  cut  mainly  through  the  plateaus. 
The  last  of  these  southward  is  the  Colorado,  a  vast  upheaval 
reaching  from  the  lower  end  of  the  Grand  Canyon  south-east 
to  about  where  the  34th  parallel  crosses  the  western  line  of 
New  Mexico.  Lieutenant  Wheeler  several  times  claims  the 
honour  of  naming  it  (1868-71),  but  the  name  occurs  on 
Lieutenant  Ives's  map  of  1858.  This  plateau  breaks  sharply 
along  its  south-west   line  to  the  lowland    district,   and  on  its 

'  I  was  at  tlie  Needles  one  summer  fur  a  brief  time,   ami   the  air  seemed  very 
oppressive  to  me. 


*iliMi-^^iii 


c    ^ 


56 


The  Colorado  River 


north-westerly  edge  slopes  to  the  Little  Colorado.  It  bears  a 
noble  pine  forest,  and  from  its  summit  rise  to  over  12,000  feet 
the  volcanic  peaks  of  the  San  Francisco  Mountains.  Its  north- 
ern edge  is  the  Grand  Canyon,  which  separates  it  from  its  kin. 
dred  on  the  other  side.      These  and  the  Colorado  Plateau  rise 


Character  of  the  Mountains  and  High  Plateau  Regions  of  the  Basin  of  the  Colorado. 

Photograph  by  J.  K.  Hillers. 


to  from  6000  to  8000  feet  above  sea-level,  and  it  is  through  this 
huge  mass  that  the  river  has  ground  out  the  Grand  Canyon,  by 
corrading  its  bed  down  tremendously,  the  bottom  at  the  end 
being  only  840  feet  above  the  sea,  whereas  the  start  at  the 
mouth  of  the  Little  Colorado  is  2690.     Yet  here  it  is  already 


58 


The  Colorado  River 


3500  feet  below  the  surface  at  the  end  of  Marble  Canyon, 
which,  separated  only  by  the  deep  canyon  of  the  Little  Col- 
orado, is  practically  a  northward  continuation  of  the  Grand 
Canyon  itself.      As  the  river  runs,   the  Grand  Canyon  is  2I7|- 


Looking  across  the  Grand  Canyon  (Inner  Gorge)  near  the  Foot  of  the  Toroweap. 

Depth  3000  feet. 

Photograph  by  J.  K.  Hillers,  L'.  S.  Geol.  Survey. 


miles  long.  To  this  may  be  added  the  65^  miles  of  Marble, 
giving  a  continuous  chasm  of  283  miles,  the  longest,  deepest, 
and  most  difficult  of  passage  in  every  direction  of  any  canyon 
in  the  world.     The  depth  begins  with  a  couple  of  hundred  feet 


Greatest  Declivity  59 

at  Lee's  Ferry  (mouth  of  the  Paria),  the  head  of  Marble  Can- 
yon, and  steadily  deepens  to  some  3500  feet  near  the  Little 
Colorado,  where  the  sudden  uplift  of  the  Kaibab  lends  about 
2000  feet  more  to  the  already  magnificent  gorge.  Along  the 
end  of  the  Kaibab  the  walls,  for  a  long  distance,  reach  their 
greatest  height,  about  6000  feet,  but  the  other  side  is  consid- 
erably lower  than  the  north  all  the  way  through.  At  the 
mouth  of  the  Kanab  the  altitude  of  the  river-bed  is  1800  feet 
above  the  sea,  showing  a  fall  in  the  interval  of  890  feet.  The 
greatest  declivity  is  about  210  feet  in  10  miles,  in  what  is 
termed  the  Kaibab  division,  extending  from  a  point  10  miles 
below  the  Little  Colorado  to  a  point  58  miles  farther  down. 
Here  the  smooth  stretches  of  river  are  long,  the  rapids  short 
and  violent.  Here,  also,  is  the  "granite,"  making  the  walls 
sombre,  as  the  colour  is  slaty  to  black.  At  the  mouth  of 
Diamond  Creek  the  river  is  still  1300  feet  higher  than  the  sea, 
giving  a  fall  of  500  feet  from  the  Kanab.  There  is  another 
descent  of  460  feet  to  the  Grand  Wash,  and  then  149  to  the 
mouth  of  the  Virgen.  Next  to  the  Kaibab  division  of  the 
Grand  Canyon,  the  greatest  declivity  occurs  in  the  Uinta 
region,  in  the  Canyon  of  Lodore.  The  profile  of  the  river  in 
these  two  districts  is  approximately  given  on  page  57.  The 
average  depth  of  the  Grand  Canyon  is  about  4000  feet.  Its 
width  at  the  top  varies  from  4|-  to  12  miles.  This  is  the  ex- 
treme outer  clifT-line.  The  inner  gorge  is  much  narrower,  at 
the  Toroweap  being  only  about  3500  feet.  The  river  varies  in 
width  from  500  or  600  feet  to  75  or  100.  In  this  canyon  is 
water-power  enough  to  run  the  machinery  of  the  world,  and 
there  is  as  much  more  in  the  canyons  above. 

Joining  Marble  Canyon  on  the  north  is  Glen,  149  miles 
long,  from  the  Paria  to  Fremont  River.  It  has  but  one  rapid 
of  consequence.  At  high  water,  with  the  exception  of  this 
rapid,  the  tide  sweeps  smoothly  and  swiftly  down  with  a  ma- 
jestic flow.  The  walls  are  homogeneous  sandstone,  in  places 
absolutely  perpendicular  for  about  a  thousand  feet.  I  ha\-e 
stood  on  the  brink  and  dropped  a  stone  into  the  river.  The 
highest  walls  are  1600  feet.  Next  is  Narrow  Canyon,  about  9 
miles  long,  1300  feet  deep,  and  no  rapids.      It  is  hardly  more 


6o  The  Colorado  River 

than  the  finish  of  Cataract,  a  superb  gorge  about  40  miles  long 
with  a  depth  of  2700  feet,  often  nearly  vertical.  The  rapids 
here  are  many  and  violent,  the  total  fall  being  about  450  feet. 
At  its  head  is  the  mouth  of  the  (jrand  Ri\'er.  The  altitude  of 
the  junction  is  3860  feet.'  Following  up  the  Green,  we  have 
first  Stillwater,  then  Labyrinth  Canyon,  much  alike,  the  first 
42|  and  the  second  62^  miles  in  length.  The  walls  of  sand- 
stone are  1300  feet.  Their  names  well  describe  them,  though 
the  Stillwater  of  the  first  is  very  swift  and  straight.  There  are 
no  rapids  in  cither.  All  these  canyon  names,  from  Green  River 
Valley  to  the  Grand  Wash,  were  applied  by  Powell.  Between 
Lab}'rinth  and  the  next  canyon.  Gray,  so  called  from  the 
colour  of  its  walls,  2000  feet  high,  is  Gunnison  Valley,  where 
the  river  may  first  be  easily  crossed.  Here  the  unfortunate 
Captain  Gunnison,  in  1853,  passed  over  on  his  way  to  his 
doom,  and  here,  too,  the  Old  Spanish  Trail  led  the  traveller  in 
former  days  toward  Los  Angeles.  The  Denver  and  Rio  Grande 
Western  Railway  has  taken  advantage  of  the  same  place  to 
cross.  The  36  miles  of  Gray  are  hardly  more  than  a  continua- 
tion of  the  Canyon  of  Desolation's  97  miles.  Desolation  is  a 
fine  chasm,  whose  walls  are  2400  feet.  The  view  on  page  206 
gives  an  excellent  idea  of  their  average  character.  The  mouth 
of  the  Uinta  River,  not  far  above  its  head,  is  4670  feet  above 
the  sea,  while  Gunnison  Valley  is  4083,  showing  a  descent  for 
the  river,  in  Desolation  and  Gray,  together  of  587  feet.  Deso- 
lation is  full  of  rapids,  some  of  them  bad.  Wonsits  Valley, 
which  succeeds  Desolation,  is  the  longest  of  the  few  valleys, 
being  about  87  miles,  with  a  width  of  6  or  8  miles.  There  is  a 
considerable  amount  of  arable  land,  and  along  the  river  bank 
large  groves  of  cottonwood  trees.  The  river  course  is  winding, 
the  current  sluggish,  the  width  being  600  to  800  feet.  At  the 
head  of  this  valley  is  Split-Mountain  Canyon,  8  miles  long, 
with  ragged,  craggy  walls  2700  feet  high.  It  contains  a  number 
of  medium  rapids.  Island  Park  separates  it  from  Whirlpool 
Canyon.      It  is  a  charming  little  valley,  full  of  islands,  a  mere 

'  The  character  of  the  Grand  River  is  similar  to  that  of  the  Green,  but  tlie 
canyons  above  the  mouth  of  the  Dolores  are  not  so  long  nor  so  deep.  The  river 
also  carries  less  water. 


The  Canyons 


6i 


expansion  of  the  walls,  9  miles  long, — 9  miles  of  rainbow,  for  the 
surrounding  rocks  and  marls  are  of  every  hue.  Whirlpool,  2400 
feet  deep,  is  about  14  miles  in  length  and  contains  a  number  of 
rapids,  but  the  whirlpools  depend  on  the  stage  of  water.    Then 


t/M^  -''-^ 


Pinnacles  in  Split  Mountain  Canyon. 
Photograph  by  E.  O.  Beaman,  U.  S.  Colo.  Riv.  E.xp. 

comes  the  beautiful  little  Echo  Park,  really  only  the  head  of 
Whirlpool.  Its  name  is  derived  from  a  wonderful  echo  of  ten 
words  returned  from  the  smooth  wall  seen  in  the  cut  on  page 
203.  It  is  only  a  mile  long  with  walls  of  600  feet.  At  its  head 
enter  the  Yampa  River  and  Canyon,  which  mark  the  foot  of 


62 


The  Colorado  River 


Lodore,  the  most  striking  gorge,  next  to  the  Grand  Can- 
yon, on  the  whole  river.  Lodore  is  only  20  miles  long,  but  it 
is  20  miles  of  concentrated  water-power  energy  and  grandeur,. 


Head  of  the  Canyon  of  Lodore  just  inside  the  "  Gate." 

Walls  2500  feet  high;  river  300  feet  wide. 
Photograph  by  E.  O.  Beaman,  U.  S.  Colo.  Riv.  Exp. 


the  fall  being  about  400  feet,  the  walls  2700.  Never  for  a  mo- 
ment does  it  relax  its  assault,  and  the  voyager  on  its  restless,. 
relentless  tide,  especially  at  high  water,  is  kept  on  the  alert. 
The  waters    indeed  come  rushing  down  w^ith  fearful  impetu- 


Brown's  Park 


63 


osity,  recalling  to  Powell  the  poem  of  Southey,  on  the  Lodore 
lie  knew,  hence  the  name.  The  beginning  of  the  gorge  is  at 
the  foot  of  Brown's  Park  through  what  is  called  the  Gate  of 
Lodore,  an  abrupt  gash  in  the  Uinta  Mountains  2000  feet  deep. 
In  viewing  this  entrance  the  ordinary  spectator  is  at  a  loss  to 
comprehend  how  the  stream  could  have  begun  its  attack  upon 
this  precipitous 
ridge.  The  theory 
that  the  river  was 
there  before  the 
upheaval  formed 
the  mountain  does 
not  entirely  sat- 
isfy, for  it  would 
seem  in  that  case 
that  the  canyon 
walls  would  long 
ago  have  become 
much  more  broken 
down  than  they 
are.  But  the  walls 
have  a  strikingly 
fresh'  look,  as  if 
formed  recently, 
compared  with  the 
timeof  the  original 
upheaval.  Itseems 
possible  that  there 
may  have  been  in 
this  region  some 
great  lake  which 
lifted  the  waters 
up  to  the  top  of 
the  ridge  to  begin  their  work  of  corrasion.  Such  lakes  did 
exist;  but  lack  of  space  forbids  the  further  pursuit  of  this 
discussion  here. 

Brown's  Park,  originally  called  Brown's  Hole,  after  one  of 
the  early  trappers,  is  a  fine  valley  about  35  miles  long  and  5  or 


Pot-hole  in  Intermittent  Water  Course,  Glen  Canvon. 

Homogeneous  sandstone.     These  holes  are  often   lo  to  15 

feet  deep,  with  the  stones  which  ground  them  lying 

in  the  bottom. 

Photograph  by  J.  Fennemore,  U.  S.  Colo^  Riv.  Exp. 


64 


The  Colorado  River 


6  miles  wide.  It  is,  like  the  few  other  valleys,  an  expansion  of 
^he  canyon  walls.  There  is  considerable  arable  land,  and  the 
place  possesses  a  remarkable  climate.  Though  its  general  level 
is  so  high,  around  5500  feet,  it  receives  hardly  any  snow,  and 
for  this  reason  was  long  a  favourite  place  for  wintering  cattle 
on  the  dri\-e  from  Texas  to  California.  It  was  a  great  rendez- 
vous, also,  for  the  early  trappers  and  traders,  and  here  stood 


Looking  up  Green  River  Valley  from  below  Union  Pacific  Railway  Bridge. 

Photograph  by  C.  R.  Savage. 


Fort  Davy  Crockett,  in  those  days  famous.  It  was  one  of 
those  necessary  places  of  refuge  and  meeting,  established  when 
the  trappers  were  pursuing  their  extermination  of  the  beaver, 
which  once  were  so  numerous  in  all  the  Western  country.  The 
river  enters  this  park  from  the  solitudes  of  Red  Canyon,  a 
splendid  chasm,  25  miles  long,  2500  feet  deep,  and  abounding 
in  plunging  waters.  The  name  is  from  the  colour  of  the  sand- 
stone walls.     Above    it  are  three  short  canyons,   Kingfisher, 


Green  River  Valley 


65 


Horseshoe,  and  Flaming  Gorge,  aggregating  about  10  miles. 
There  are  there  no  rapids  worth  mentioning,  but  the  scenic 
beauty  is  entrancing.  The  walls  are  from  1200  to  1600  feet,  in 
places  extremely  precipitous.  Flaming  Gorge,  with  walls  1300 
feet,  is  particularly  distinguished  by  being  the  beginning  of  the 
long  series  of  close 
canyons.  The  river 
enters  suddenly 
from  Green  River 
Valley,  repeating 
on  a  smaller  scale 
the  conditions  at 
the  entrance  to  Lo- 
dore.  From  here  on 
up  to  the  Wind 
River  Range  the 
stream  is  flanked  by 
occasional  cliffs  and 
buttes,  but  the 
country  is  compara- 
tively open,  and  the 
many  tributaries  of- 
ten have  fine  grassy 
bottoms.  This  was 
the  locality  of  the 
great  rendezvous  of 
the  period  from 
1825  to  1835,  and 
even  later. 

Green  River  Val- 
ley is  an  elevated  region,  from  six  thousand  to  seven  thou- 
sand feet  above  sea.  It  stretches  from  the  Wind  River 
Mountains  on  the  north  to  the  Uintas  on  the  south,  and 
is  bounded  westwardly  by  the  Wyoming  Range,  and  on  the 
east  merges  into  the  Laramie  Plains.  The  drainage  exit 
is  through  the  Uintas,  as  noted,  by  means  of  the  canyons 
heading  at  Flaming  Gorge.  There  are  here  opportunities  for 
extensive  farming  by  irrigation.  The  only  other  chance  for 
s 


specimen  of  a  Navajo. 
Photograph  by  J.  K.  Hillers.  U.  S.  Geol.  Survey. 


66 


The  Colorado  River 


agriculture  on  the  river,  except  \\M)nsits  Valley,  Brown's  Park, 
and  a  few  niimn-  places,  is  below  Black  Canyon,  in  the  stretches 
I  have  called  the  alluvial  and  the  canyon-valley  divisions.  In 
the  latter  short  canyons  separate  extensive  valleys  with  wide 
alluvial  bottoms  capable  of  hiLjh  cultivation,  though  often 
subject  to  overflow.  Almost  anything  will  grow  there.  Vast 
groves  of   cottonwood  and   mesquite   exist.     In   the   alluvial 


Young  Warriors  of  the  North. 
Photograph  by  C.  R.  Savage. 


division,  the  last  stretch  of  the  river,  from  the  Gila  down,  cot- 
ton and  sugar  cane  would  probably  grow.  This  is  the  only 
division  where  the  water  of  the  river  can  be  extensively  di- 
verted. At  the  mouth  of  the  Gila  an  old  emigrant  road  to  Cali- 
fornia crossed,  and  another  here  in  this  Green  River  Valley. 
A  third  route  of  travel  was  by  way  of  Gunnison's  Crossing; 
and  a  fourth,  though  this  was  seldom  traversed,  was  by  the 
Crossing  of  the  Fathers,  some  thirty-five  miles  above  the  pre- 
sent Lee's  Ferry.     In  Green  River  Valley,  Bonneville  built  his 


Native  Tribes 


67 


Fort  Nonsense,  and  the  region  was  for  many  years  the  best 
known  of  any  place  beyond  the  mountains.  The  routes  of 
trappers  and  prospectors  frequently  followed  old  native  trails, 
which  crossed  and  recrossed  the  country  in  every  direction, 
except  where  the  canyons  of  the  Green  and  Colorado  were  ap- 
proached, when  few  lines  of  traverse  were  open  across,  and 
none  alon^  the  course  of  the  water. 


■"TtV-' 


The  Joshua  Tree. 

Clistoyucca  Arborescens.     Southern  Nevada. 
Photograph  by  C.  R.  Savage. 


On  the  headwaters  of  Green  River  lived  the  Crows,  who 
called  it  the  Seedskedee  Agie  or  Prairie  Hen  River.  The 
Snakes  and  Utes  living  farther  down  called  it  the  Bitter-root. 
Fremont  called  it  the  Rio  Verde  of  the  Spaniards,  but  ap- 
parently w^ithout  good  authority.  It  was  also  spoken  of  as 
Spanish  River,  from  the  report  that  Spaniards  occupied  its 
lower  valleys.  Colorado  was  also  one  of  its  names,  and  this  is 
what  it  should  have  remained.      The  commonest  appellation 


68 


The  Colorado  River 


was  Green,  supposed  to  have  been  derived  from  a  trapper  of 
that  name.  Just  when  the  term  "Colorado"  was  first  appHed  to 
the  lower  river  is  not  now  known.  It  bore  several  names,  but 
finally  Colorado  took  first  place  because  of  its  appropriateness. 
Both  the  walls  and  the  water  are  usually  red,  though  the  name 
is  undoubtedly  derived  from  the  colour  of  the  water.  Green 
River  is  frequently  as  red  as  any  river  could  be.  After  a  storm 
in  the  headwaters  of  Vermilion  Creek  I  have  seen  the  Green  a 
positively  bright  vermilion. 


A  Pai  Ute  Family  at  Home. 

Photograph  by  J.  K.  Hillers,  U.  S.  Colo.  Riv.  Exp. 


The  Arapahos  were  said  to  range  into  Brown's  Park;  the 
Utes  were  all  along  the  Wonsits  Valley  and  below  it  on  both 
sides  of  the  river.  Then  came  the  Navajos,  ranging  up  to  the 
San  Juan  and  above.'  On  the  north  side,  below  the  San  Juan, 
were  the  various  bands  of  Pai  Utes,  while  on  the  south  were  the 
Puebloan  tribes,  with  the  Apaches,  Suppais,  Wallapais,  etc., 
while  still  below  came  the  Mohaves,  Cocopas,  and  Yumas, 
with,  on  the  Gila,  the  Pimas,  Papagos,  and  Maricopas.  The 
250,000  square  miles  of  the  basin  were  variously  apportioned 

'  For  notes  on  the  distribution  of  tribes  see  the  Seventh  Ann.  Rep.  Bu. 
Ethnology ;  Wheeler's  Report,  vol.  i.  ;  Report  of  Lieut.  Ives,  Works  of  H.  H. 
Bancroft,  and  Garces,  by  Elliott  Coues. 


Strange  Vegetation 


69 


^: 


ys 


'J^'  7^'.''> 


amongst  these  tribes,  but  their  territorial  claims  were  usually 
well  defined. 

The  vegetation  of  the  area,  especially  that  of  the  lower  half, 
possesses  singular 
characteristics  quite 
in  keeping  with  the 
extraordinary  to- 
pography. Here 
flourishes  the  cac- 
tus, that  rose  of  the 
desert,  its  lovely 
blossoms  red,  yel- 
low, and  white,  il- 
luminating in  spring 
the  arid  wastes. 
The  soft  green  of 
its  stems  and  the 
multiplicity  of  its 
forms  and  species, 
are  a  constant  de- 
light. It  writhes 
and  struggles  across 
the  hot  earth,  or 
spreads  out  silver- 
spined  branches  in- 
to a  tree-like  bush, 
or,  in  the  great 
pitahaya,  rises  in 
fierce  dignity  like  a 
monitor  against  the 
deep  blue  sky.  And 
the  yuccas  are  quite 
as  beautiful,  with 
their    tall      central 

rods  so  richly  crowned  with  bell-like  blossoms,  the  fantastic 
Clistoyucca  arborcsccns,  or  Joshua  tree,  being  more  in  harmony 
with  the  archaic  landscape  than  any  other  plant  there.  As 
the  traveller  crosses  one  of  the  open  forests  of  this  tree,  which 


The  Barrel  Cactus. 

Pencil  sketch  by  F.  S.  Dellenbaugh. 


70 


The  Colorado  River 


is  often  twenty-five  feet  high,  the  more  distant  ones  appear 
to  beckon  Hke  some  uncanny  desert  octopus  yearning  to  draw 
him  within  reach  of  those  scrawny  arms.  The  blossom  of 
this  monstrous  growth  is  a  re\-ehition,  so  unexpected  is  it.  A 
group  as  large  as  one's  head,  pure  white,  on  the  extremity  of 
a  dagger-covered  bough,  it  is  like  an  angel  amidst  bayonets. 


Vegetati'j-.  '.t  r!;.    Southwest. 
Photograph  by  E.  O.  Beamax. 


The  pitahaya,  often  more  than  thirty  feet  high  and  twelve  to 
twenty-four  inches  diameter,  is  a  fit  companion  for  the  Joshua, 
with  an  equally  startling  blossom. 


"  To  go  out  on  the  desert  .  .  .  and  meet  these  cacti  is  like 
whispering  into  the  ear  of  the  Sphinx,  and  listening  at  her  locked 
lips,     .     .     .     and  to  go  out  in  April  and  see  them  suddenly  abloom 


Rattlesnake's  Paradise  71 

is  as  though  the  lips  of  the  Sphinx  should  i)art  and  utter  solemn 
words.  A  bunch  of  white  flowers  at  the  tip  of  the  obelisk,  flowers 
springing  white  and  wonderful  out  of  this  dead,  gaunt,  prickly 
thing — is  not  that  Nature's  consummate  miracle,  a  symbol  of  resur- 
rection more  profound  than  the  lily  of  the  fields."  * 

Then  there  is  the  glorious  ocotillo,  waving  its  long,  slender 
wands  from  the  ground-centre,  each  green  with  its  myriad  little 
lance-shaped  leaves,  and  bursting  at  the  end  into  a  scarlet 
flame  of  blossoms  dazzling  in  the  burning  sunlight.  Near 
by  springs  up  the  Barrel  cactus,  a  forbidding  column  no  one 
dares  touch.  A  little  farther  is  the  "yant  "  of  the  Pai  Ute, 
with  leaves  fringed  with  teeth  like  its  kind,  the  Agaves.  This 
is  a  source  of  food  for  the  native,  who  roasts  the  asparagus-like 
tip  starting  up  in  the  spring,  and  he  also  takes  the  whole  head, 
and,  trimming  off  the  outer  leaves,  bakes  it  in  pits,  whereby  it 
is  full  of  sweetness  like  thick  molasses.  The  inner  pulp  is  dried 
in  sheets  and  laid  away.  Near  by,  the  Pinyon  tree  in  the  au- 
tumn sheds  its  delicious  nuts  by  the  bushel,  and  meanwhile 
there  are  many  full,  nutritious  grass  seeds,  the  kind  called 
"ak"  by  the  Pai  Utes  almost  equalling  wheat  in  the  size  of 
its  kernel.  In  the  lowlands  grows  the  stolid  mesquite  tree, 
more  underground  than  above,  whose  roots  furnish  excellent 
firewood, — albeit  they  must  be  broken  up  with  a  sledge  ham- 
mer, for  no  axe  will  stand  the  impact.  Near  it  may  be  seen 
huge  bunches  of  grass  (or  perhaps  straw  would  describe  it  bet- 
ter), which  the  white  man  gathers  for  hay  with  a  huge  hoe. 
Then  there  is  the  ever-present,  friendly  sage-brush,  miniature 
oak  trees,  with  branch  and  trunk  so  beautiful.  It  grows,  as  a 
rule,  about  two  feet  high,  but  I  have  seen  it  higher  than  my 
head  ;  that  is,  at  least  six  feet.  Beneath  its  spreading  shade  in 
the  south  lurks  the  Gila  Monster,  terrible  in  name  at  any  rate, 
a  fearful  object  to  look  upon,  a  remnant  of  antediluvian  times, 
a  huge,  clumsy,  two-foot  lizard.  The  horned  toad  is  quite  as 
forbidding  in  appearance,  but  he  is  a  harmless  little  thing. 

Here  we  are  in  the  rattlesnake's  paradise.     Nine  species 
are  found  along  the  Mexican  border;  and  no  wonder.     The 

'  Harriet  Monroe,  Atlantic  Monthly,  June,  1902. 


72 


The  Colorado  River 


country  seems  made  for  them, — the  rocks,  cliffs,  canyons,  pit- 
ahayas,  Joshuas,  and  all  the  rest  of  it.  Notwithstandin^nheir 
venom  they  have  beauty,  and  when  one  is  seen  at  the  bottom 
of  some  lonely,  unfrequented  canyon,  tail  buzzing,  head  erect, 
and  defiant,  glistening  eyes,  a  man  feels  like  apologising  for  the 
intrusion.  Above  in  the  limpid  sunlight  floats  the  great  eagle, 
deadly  enemy  of  the  rattlesnake ;  from  a  near-by  bush  the  ex- 
quisite song  of  the  mocking-bird  trills  out,  and  far  up  the  rocks 

the  hoof-strokes 
of  the  mountain 
sheep  strike  with 
a  rattle  of  stones 
that  seems  music 
in  the  crystal  air. 
Yonder  the  wild 
turkey  calls  from 
the  pine  trees,  or 
we  hark  to  the 
whir  of  the  grouse 
or  the  pine-hen. 
Noisy  magpies 
startle  the  silence 
of     the    northern 

..  ^-    .  ^^^^r-'''~'^T!^B      districts,   and    the 

P  ^9     ^^^H^^MB      sage-hen  and    the 

rabbit  everywhere 
break  the  solitude 
of  your  ^valk. 
Turn  up  a  stone 
and  sometimes 
you  see  a  revengeful  scorpion :  anon  the  huge  tarantula 
comes  forth  to  look  at  the  camp-fire.  As  one  sits  resting 
on  a  barren  ledge,  the  little  swifts  come  out  to  make  his  ac- 
quaintance. Whistle  softly  and  a  bright-coated  fellow  will  run 
up  even  upon  your  shoulder  to  show  his  appreciation  of  the 
Swan  Song.  Antelope  dart  scornfully  away  across  the  open 
plains,  and  the  little  coyote  halts  in  his  course  to  turn  the  in- 
quisitive gaze  of  his  pretty  bright  eyes  upon  this  new  animal 


A  Kaibab  Pai  Ute. 

Posed  by  Thomas  Moran. 

Photograph  by  J.  K.  Killers,  U.  S.  Geol.  Survey. 


Wild  Animals 


73 


crossing  his  path.  The  timber  wolf,  not  satisfied  with  staring, 
follows,  perhaps,  as  if  enjoying  company,  at  the  same  time  oc- 
casionally licking  his  chaps.  When  the  sun  goes  down  his 
long-drawn  bark  rolls  out  into  the  clear  winter  sky  like  a  song 


Side  Canyon  of  Glen  Canyon. 

Homogeneous  Sandstone. 
Photograph  by  J.  Fennemore,  U.  S.  Colo.  Riv.  Exp. 

to  the  evening  star,  rendering  the  blaze  of  the  camp-fire  all  the 
more  comfortable.  Under  the  moonlight  the  sharper  bark  of 
the  coyote  swells  a  chorus  from  the  cliffs,  and  the  rich  note  of 
the  night-storm  is  accentuated  by  the  long  screech  of  the  puma 


74  The  Colorado  River 

prowling  on  the  heights.  In  daylight  his  brother,  the  wild-cat, 
reminds  one  of  Tabby  at  home  by  the  fireside.  There  is  the 
lynx,  too,  among  the  rocks;  and  on  the  higher  planes  the  deer, 
elk,  and  bear  have  their  homes.  In  Green  River  Valley  once 
roamed  thousands  of  bison.  The  more  arid  districts  have  the 
fewest  large  animals,  and  conversely  the  more  humid  the  most, 
though  in  the  latter  districts  the  fauna  and  flora  approach  that 
of  the  eastern  part  of  the  continent,  while  as  the  former  are 
approached  the  difference  grows  wider  and  wider,  till  in  the 
southern  lowlands  there  is  no  resemblance  to  eastern  types  at 
all.  Once  the  streams  everywhere  had  thousands  of  happy 
beaver,  with  their  homes  in  the  river  banks,  or  in  waters  deep- 
ened by  their  clever  dams.  Otter,  too,  were  there.  The  larger 
rivers  are  not  favourable  for  fish  on  account  of  the  vast  amount 
of  sediment,  but  in  the  smaller,  especially  in  the  mountain 
streams,  trout  w^ere  abundant.  In  Green  River  occurs  a 
salmon-trout  attaining  a  length  of  at  least  four  feet.  This  is 
also  found  in  the  Colorado  proper,  where  another  fish,  with  a 
humpback,  is  to  be  caught.  I  do  not  know^  the  name  of  this, 
but  imagine  it  the  same  as  has  in  latter  days  been  called 
"squaw-fish." 

All  over  the  region  the  rocks  are  seamed  by  mineral  veins. 
Some  of  these  have  already  poured  forth  millions  of  dollars, 
while  others  await  a  discoverer.  On  the  river  itself  gold  is 
found  in  the  sands ;  and  the  small  alluvial  bottoms  that  occur 
in  Glen  Canyon,  and  a  few  gravel  bars  in  the  Grand,  have  been 
somewhat  profitably  worked,  though  necessarily  on  a  small 
scale.  The  granite  walls  of  the  Grand  Canyon  bear  innumer- 
able veins,  but  as  prospecting  is  there  so  dif^cult  it  will  be 
many  a  long  year  before  the  best  are  found.  The  search  for 
mineral  veins  has  done  much  to  make  the  farther  parts  known, 
just  as  the  earlier  search  for  beaver  took  white  men  for  the  first 
time  into  the  fastnesses  of  the  great  mountains,  and  earlier  the 
effort  to  save  the  souls  of  the  natives  marked  their  main  trails 
into  the  wilderness. 

This  sketch  of  the  Basin  of  the  Colorado  is  most  inade- 
quate, but  the  scope  of  this  volume  prevents  amplification  in 
this  direction.      These  few  pages,  however,  will  better  enable 


Mineral  Veins 


75 


the  reader  to  comprehend  the  labours  of  the  padres,  the  trap- 
pers, and  the  explorers,  some  account  of  whose  doings  is  pre- 
sented in  the  following  chapters.' 

'  In  connection  with  the  subject  of  erosion  and  corrasion  the  reader  is  advised 
to  study  the  following  works,  which  are  the  standards  :  The  Exploration  of  the 
Colorado  of  the  West,  and  the  Geology  of  the  Uinta  Mountains,  by  J.  W.  Powell ; 
The  Henry  Mountains,  by  G.  K.  Gilbert  ;  The  Geology  of  the  High  Plateaus  of 
Utah,  and  The  Tertiary  History  of  the  Grand  Canyon  District,  by  C.  E.  Dutton. 


^^A 


CHAPTER  IV 


Onate,  1604,  Crosses  Arizona  to  the  Colorado — A  Remarkable  Ancient  Ruin  Dis- 
covered by  Padre  Kino,  1694 — Padre  Garces  Sees  the  Grand  Canyon  and 
Visits  Oraibi,  1776 — The  Great  Entrada  of  Padre  Escalante  across  Green 
River  to  Utah  Lake,  1776 — Death  of  Garces  Ends  the  Entrada  Period,  1781. 

IN  the  historical  development  of  the  Basin  of  the  Colorado- 
four  chief  epochs  are  apparent.  The  discovery  of  the 
river,  as  already  outlined  in  previous  chapters,  is  the  first;  sec- 
ond, the  entradas  of  the  padres;  third,  the  wanderings  of 
the  trappers;  and  fourth,  the  expeditions  of  the  explorers. 
These  epochs  are  replete  with  interesting  and  romantic  incidents, 
new  discoveries ;  starvations  ;  battles  ;  massacres ;  lonely,  dan- 
gerous journeys,  etc.,  which  can  only  be  touched  upon  in  a 
volume  of  the  present  size.  Dr.  Coues  placed  the  diary  of 
Garces,  one  of  the  chief  actors  of  this  great  four-act  life-drama, 
in  accessible  shape,  and  had  not  his  lamented  death  interfered 
he  would  have  put  students  under  further  obligation  to  him. 

Preliminary  to  the  entradas  of  the  padres,  Don  Antonio  de 
Espejo,  in  1583,  went  from  the  Rio  Grande  to  Moki  and  west- 
ward to  a  mountain,  probably  one  of  the  San  Francisco  group, 
but  he  did  not  see  the  Colorado.  Twenty-one  years  elapsed  be- 
fore a  white  man  again  ventured  into  this  region.  In  1604,  Don 
Juan  de  Oflate,  the  wealthy  governor  of  New  Mexico,  determ- 
ined to  cross  from  his  headquarters  at  the  village  of  San  Juaa 
on  the  Rio  Grande,  by  this  route  to  the  South  Sea,  and, 
accompanied  by  thirty  soldiers  and  two  padres,  he  set  forth, 
passing  west  by  way  of  the  pueblo  of  Zuni,  and  probably  not 

76 


Juan  de  Onate 


n 


seeing  at  that  time  the  celebrated  Inscription  Rock,'  for,  though 
his  name  is  said  to  be  first  of  European  marks,  the  date  is  1606. 


^-'^-'■^^ 


Entrance  to  Acoma,  N.  M. 

The  town  is  on  top  of  a  mesa,  and  was  a  prominent  point  on  the 

highway  from  the  Rio  Grande  to  Zuni. 

Photograph  by  Ben  Wittick. 


From  Zuni  he  went  to  the  Moki  towns,  then  fi\-e  in  number, 
and  possibly  somewhat  south  of  the  present  place.      Beyond 

'  This  is  a  quadrangular  mass  of  sandstone  about  a  mile  long,  thirty-five  miles 
east  of  Zuni.  On  its  base  at  the  eastern  end  are  a  number  of  native  and 
European  inscriptions,  the  oldest,  of  the  European  dates  according  to  Simpson, 
being  1606,  recording  a  visit  by  Ofiate.  The  rock,  or,  more  properly,  mesa,  is 
also  called  the  Morro.      Chas.  F.  Lummis  has  also  written  on  this  subject. 


78  The  Colorado  River 

Moki  ten  leagues,  they  crossed  a  stream  flowing  north-westerly, 
which  was  called  Colorado  from  the  colour  of  its  water, — the 
first  use  of  the  name  so  far  traced.  This  was  what  we  now  call 
the  Little  Colorado.  They  understood  it  to  discharge  into  the 
South  Sea  (Pacific),  and  probably  Ofiate  took  it  for  the  very 
headwaters  of  the  Buena  Guia  which  Alar^on  had  discovered 
over  sixty  years  before.  As  yet  no  white  man  had  been  north 
of  Moki  in  the  Basin  of  the  Colorado,  and  the  only  source  of 
information  concerning  the  far  northern  region  was  the  natives, 
who  were  not  always  understood,  however  honestly  they  might 
try  to  convey  a  knowledge  of  the  country. 

Skirting  the  southern  edge  of  the  beautiful  San  Francisco 
Mountain  region,  through  the  superb  forest  of  pine  trees,  Ofiate 
finally  descended  from  the  Colorado  Plateau  to  the  headwaters 
of  the  Verde,  where  he  met  a  tribe  called  Cruzados,  because 
they  wore  little  crosses  from  the  hair  of  the  forehead,  a  relic,  no 
doubt,  of  the  time  when  Alar^on  had  so  freely  distributed  these 
emblems  among  the  tribes  he  encountered  on  the  Colorado, 
friends  probably  of  these  Cruzados.  The  latter  reported  the 
sea  twenty  days  distant  by  way  of  a  small  river  running  into  a 
greater,  which  flowed  to  the  salt  water.  The  small  river  was 
Bill  Williams  Fork,  and  on  striking  it  Ofiate  began  to  see  the 
remarkable  pitahaya  adorning  the  landscape  with  its  tall, 
stately  columns ;  and  all  the  strange  lowland  vegetation  fol- 
lowed. The  San  Andreas,  as  he  called  this  stream,  later 
named  Santa  Maria  by  Garces,  he  followed  down  to  the  large 
river  into  which  it  emptied,  the  Colorado,  which  he  called  the 
Rio  Grande  de  Buena  Esperanza,  or  River  of  Good  Hope,  evi- 
dently deciding  that  it  merited  a  more  distinguished  title  than 
had  been  awarded  it  at  the  supposed  headwaters.  He  appears 
to  have  well  understood  what  river  this  was,  and  we  wonder 
why  he  gave  it  a  new  name  when  it  had  already  received  two. 
Sometimes  in  new  lands  explorers  like  to  have  their  own  way. 
They  went  down  the  Colorado,  after  a  party  had  examined  the 
river  a  little  above  the  mouth  of  the  Bill  Williams  Fork,  meet- 
ing with  various  bands  of  friendly  natives,  among  whom  we 
recognise  the  Mohaves  and  the  Cocopas.  Not  far  below 
where    Ofiate    reached    the    Esperanza   he   entered   the   Great 


o    y^ 


o    J 


8o  The  Colorado  River 

Colorado  Valley  and  soon  crossed  the  highest  point  attained 
by  Alar^on  in  1540,  probably  near  the  upper  end  of  the  valley. 
He  now  doubled  Alar^on's  and  presently  also  Melchior  Diaz's 
paths,  and  arrived  at  the  mouth  of  the  river  on  the  25th  of  Jan- 
uary, 1605,  the  first  white  man  in  over  sixty  years,  A  large 
harbour  which  struck  his  fancy  was  named  in  honour  of  the 
saint's  day,  Puerto  de  la  Conversion  de  San  Pablo,  for  the  sun 
seldom  went  down  without  a  Spaniard  of  those  days  thus  pro- 
pitiating a  saint.  We  are  more  prone  to  honour  the  devil  in 
these  matters.  The  Gila  they  called  Rio  del  Nombre  de  Jesus, 
a  name  never  used  again.  So  it  often  happens  with  names  be- 
stowed by  explorers.  The  ones  they  regard  most  highly  van- 
ish, while  some  they  apply  thoughtlessly  adhere  forever. 

All  the  tribes  of  this  region,  being  familiar  with  the  Cali- 
fornian  coast,  described  it  in  a  way  that  caused  Onate  to  believe 
that  the  gulf  was  the  South  Sea,  extending  indefinitely  beyond 
the  mouth  of  the  Colorado  northwards,  and  thus  the  persistent 
error  that  Lower  California  was  an  island  received  further  con- 
firmation. Without  going  across  to  the  sea  beyond  the  mount- 
ains, which  would  have  dispelled  the  error,  Onate  returned  to 
the  Rio  Grande  by  the  outward  route,  suffering  so  greatly  for 
food  that  the  party  were  forced  to  eat  some  of  their  horses,  a 
source  of  relief  often  resorted  to  in  future  days  in  this  arid 
country.  A  few  years  after  Onate's  expedition  Zalvidar 
(161 8),  with  Padre  Jiminez  and  forty-seven  soldiers,  went  out 
to  Moki,  and  from  there  fifteen  leagues  to  the  Rio  de  Buena 
Esperanza,  but  they  evidently  encountered  Marble  Canyon, 
and  soon  returned. 

Another  name  closely  linked  with  the  early  history  of  the 
Colorado  is  that  of  Padre  Eusibio  Francisco  Kino,'  an  Austrian 
by  birth  and  a  member  of  the  Jesuit  order.  This  indefatigable 
enthusiast  travelled  back  and  forth,  time  and  again,  over  the 
whole  of  northern  Sonora  and  the  southern  half  of  Arizona, 
then  comprised  in  Pimeria  Alta,  the  upper  land  of  the  Pimas, 
and  Papagueria,  the  land  of  the  Papagos.      His  base  of  opera- 

'  The  name  is  written  Kiihn,  Ktihne,  Quino,  and  in  several  other  ways.  Hum- 
boldt used  Kiihn,  and  either  tiiis  or  Kiihne  is  probably  the  correct  form,  but 
long  usage  gives  preference  to  Kino. 


% 


'■% 


r<^> 


.'%  ^ 


-:*^? 


■JBi 


.iJiJiiiJ 


82  The  Colorado  River 

tions  was  a  mission  ho  established  in  Sonora;  the  mission 
of  Dolores,  founded  in  1687.  For  some  thirty  years  Kino 
laboured  in  this  field  with  tireless  energy,  flinching  before  no 
danger  or  difficult}'.  He  was  the  first  white  man  to  see 
the  extraordinary  ruin  called  Casa  Grande,  near  the  present 
town  of  Florence,  and  on  the  occasion  of  his  first  visit  he  took 
advantage  of  the  structure  to  say  mass  within  its  thick  adobe 
walls.  This  is  probably  the  most  remarkable  ancient  building 
within  the  limits  of  the  United  States.  For  a  long  time  it  was 
called  the  House  of  Montezuma,  though,  of  course,  Monte- 
zuma never  heard  of  it.  A  similar  ruin,  called  Casas  Grandes, 
exists  in  Sonora.  The  construction  is  what  is  called  cajon, 
that  is,  adobe  clay  rammed  into  a  box  or  frame,  which  is  lifted 
for  each  successive  course  as  the  work  advances.  In  the  dry 
air  of  that  region  such  walls  become  extremely  hard,  and  will 
endure  for  ages  if  the  foundations  are  not  sapped.'  Kino  paid 
a  second  visit  to  the  ruin  of  Casa  Grande  in  1697,  this  time 
accompanied  by  Captain  Juan  Mateo  Mange,  an  ofificer  de- 
tailed with  his  command  to  escort  the  padres  on  their  peril- 
ous journeys. 

The  method  of  the  authorities  was  to  establish  a  military 
post,  called  a  presidio,  at  some  convenient  point,  from  which 
protection  would  be  extended  to  several  missions.  The  sol- 
diers in  the  field  wore  a  sort  of  buckskin  armour,  with  a  dou- 
ble-visored  helmet  and  a  leathern  buckler  on  the  left  arm. 
Kino  was  as  often  without  as  with  the  guardianship  of  these 
warriors,  and  seems  to  have  had  very  little  trouble  with  the 
natives.  The  Apaches,  then  and  always,  were  the  worst  of  all. 
In  his  numerous  entradas  he  explored  the  region  of  his  labours 
pretty  thoroughly,  reaching,  in  1698,  a  hill  from  which  he  saw 
how  the  gulf  ended  at  the  mouth  of  the  Colorado ;  and  the  fol- 
lowing year  he  was  again  down  the  Gila,  which  he  called  Rio 
de  los  Apostoles,  to  the  Colorado,  now  blessed  with  a  fourth 
name,  the  Rio  de  los  Martires.     "Buena  Guia,"  "del  Tizon," 

'See  The  N^orth  Americans  of  Yesterday,  by  F.  S.  Dellenbaugh,  p.  234;  and 
for  complete  details  see  papers  by  Cosmos  Mindeleff,  Thirteenth  Att.  Rep.  Bu. 
Eth.  and  Fifteenth  An.  Rep.  Bit.  Eth.  ;  also  Font's  description  in  Coues's  Garces, 
P-  93- 


Padre  Kino's  Map  of  1701. 

The  first  map  giving  the  head  of  the  Gulf  correctly. 
From  Bancroft's  History  of  Arizona  and  New  Mexico. 


84 


The  Colorado  River 


"Esperanza,"  and  "los  Martircs,"  all  in  about  a  century  and 
a  half,  and  still  the  great  Dragon  of  Waters  was  not  only  un- 
tamed but  unknown.  Kino  kej)!  up  his  endeavours  to  inaugu- 
rate somewhere  a  religious  centre,  but  without  success.     The 

San  Dionisio 
marked  on  his  map 
at  the  mouth  of  the 
Gila  was  only  the 
name  he  gave  a 
Yuma  village  at 
that  point,  and  was 
never  anything 
more.  On  Novem- 
ber 21,  1 701,  Kino 
reached  a  point 
only  one  day's  jour- 
ney above  the  sea, 
where  he  crossed 
the  river  on  a  raft, 
but  he  made  no 
attempt  to  go  to 
the  mouth.  At  last, 
however,  on  March 
7,  1702,  he  actually 
set  foot  on  the  bar- 
ren sands  where  the 
waters,  gathered 
from  a  hundred 
mountain  peaks  of 
the  far  interior,  are 
hurled  against  the 
sea-tide,  the  first 
white  visitor  since 
Ofiate,  ninety-eight  years  before.  Visits  of  Europeans  to  this 
region  were  then  counted  by  centuries  and  half-centuries,  yet 
on  the  far  Atlantic  shore  of  the  continent  they  were  swarming 
in  the  cradle  of  the  giant  that  should  ultimately  rule  from  sea 
to  sea,  annihilating  the  desert.      But  even  the  desert  has  its 


A  Lateral  Canyon  of  Escalante  River. 
Photograph  by  J.  K.  Hillers,  U   S.  Colo   Riv   Exp 


a,    >  p. 


""'^  Js 


86  The  Colorado  River 

charms.  One  seems  to  inhale  fresh  vitality  from  its  unpeopled 
immensity.  I  never  could  understand  why  a  desert  is  not 
generally  considered  beautiful;  the  kind,  at  least,  we  have  in 
the  South-west,  with  all  the  cacti,  the  yucca,  and  the  other 
flowering  plants  unfamiliar  to  European  or  Eastern  eyes,  and 
the  lines  of  coloured  cliffs  and  the  deep  canyons.  There  is  far 
more  beauty  and  variety  of  colour  than  in  the  summer  meadow- 
stretches  and  hills  of  the  Atlantic  States.  So  the  good  Padre 
Kino,  after  all,  was  perhaps  to  be  congratulated  on  having 
those  thirty  years,  interesting  years,  before  the  wilds  could  be 
made  commonplace. 

Arizona  did  not  seem  to  yield  kindly  to  the  civilisers;  in- 
deed, it  was  like  the  Colorado  River,  repellent  and  unbreakable. 
The  padres  crossed  it  and  recrossed  it  on  the  southwestern 
corner,  but  they  made  no  impression.  After  Kino's  death  in 
171 1  there  was  a  lull  in  the  entradas  to  the  Colorado,  though 
Ugarte,  coming  up  along  the  eastern  coast  of  Lower  California, 
sailed  to  the  mouth  of  the  river  in  July,  1721.  Twenty-four 
years  later  (1744)  Padre  Jacobo  Sedelmair  went  down  the  Gila 
from  Casa  Grande  to  the  great  bend,  and  from  there  cut  across 
to  the  Colorado  at  about  the  mouth  of  Bill  Williams  Fork,  but 
his  journey  was  no  more  fruitful  than  those  of  his  predecessors 
in  the  last  two  centuries.  It  seems  extraordinary  in  these  days 
that  men  could  traverse  a  country,  even  so  infrequently,  dur- 
ing two  whole  centuries  and  yet  know  almost  nothing  about  it. 
Two  years  after  Sedelmair  touched  the  Colorado,  Fernando 
Consag,  looking  for  mission  sites,  came  up  the  gulf  to  its 
mouth,  and  when  he  had  sailed  away  there  was  another  long 
interval  before  the  river  was  again  visited  by  Europeans.  This 
time  it  was  over  a  quarter  of  a  century,  but  the  activity  then 
begun  was  far  greater  than  ever  before,  and  the  two  padres 
who  now  became  the  foremost  characters  in  the  drama  that  so 
slowly  moved  upon  the  mighty  and  diversified  stage  of  the 
South-west,  were  quite  the  equals  in  tireless  energy  of  the 
Jesuit  Kino.  These  two  padres  were  Garces  and  Escalante, 
more  closely  associated  with  the  history  of  the  Basin  of  the 
Colorado  than  any  one  who  had  gone  before.  Francisco 
Garces,  as  well  as  Escalante,  was  of  the  P"ranciscan  order,  and 


San  Xavier  87 

this  order,  superseding  the  Jesuit,  was  making  settlements, 
1769-70,  at  San  Diego  and  Monterey,  as  well  as  taking  a 
prominent  part  in  those  already  long  established  on  the  Rio 
Grande.  There  was  no  overland  connection  between  the  Cali- 
fornia missions  and  those  of  Sonora  and  the  Rio  Grande,  and 
the  desire  to  explore  routes  for  such  communication  was  one 
of  the  incentives  of  both  Garces  and  Escalante,  in  their  long 
entradas.  But  it  seemed  to  be  the  habit  of  those  days,  either 
never  to  seek  information  as  to  what  had  previously  been  ac- 
complished, or  to  forget  it,  for  the  expedition  of  Oiiate  might  as 
well  never  have  been  made  so  far  as  its  effect  on  succeeding 
travels  was  concerned.  He  had  crossed  Arizona  by  the  very 
best  route,  yet  Escalante,  172  years  afterward,  goes  searching 
for  one  by  way  of  Utah  Lake !  Coming  from  the  west,  the 
Moki  Towns  were  ever  the  objective  point,  for  they  were  well 
known  and  offered  a  refuge  in  the  midst  of  the  general  desola- 
tion. Garces  had  his  headquarters  at  the  mission  of  San 
Xavier  del  Bac,  or  Bac,  as  it  was  commonly  called,  nine  miles 
south  of  the  present  town  of  Tucson.  Here  Kino  had  begun 
a  church  in  1699,  and  at  a  later  period  another  better  one  was 
started  near  by.  This  was  finished  in  1797  and  to-day  stands 
the  finest  monument  in  the  South-west  of  the  epoch  of  the 
padres.  It  is  a  really  beautiful  specimen  of  the  Mexico-Span- 
ish church  architecture  of  that  time.  No  better  testimony 
could  there  be  of  the  indefatigable  spiritual  energy  of  the 
padres  than  this  artistic  structure  standing  now  amidst  a  few 
adobe  houses,  and  once  completely  abandoned  to  the  elements. 
Such  a  building  should  never  be  permitted  to  perish,  and  it 
well  merits  government  protection.  Its  striking  contrast  to  Casa 
Grande,  the  massive  relic  of  an  unknown  time,  standing  but  a 
few  leagues  distant,  will  always  render  this  region  of  exceptional 
interest  to  the  artist,  the  archaeologist,  and  the  general  traveller. 
From  Bac,  under  the  protection  of  the  presidio  of  Tubac, 
some  thirty  miles  farther  south,  later  transferred  (1776)  to  the 
present  Tucson,  Garces  carried  on  his  work.  He  made  five 
great  entradas  from  the  time  of  his  arrival  in  June,  1768.  The 
first  was  in  that  same  year,  the  second  in  1770,  but  in  these  he 
did  not  reach  the  Colorado,  and  we  will  pass  them  by.      In 


88 


The  Colorado  River 


the  third,  1771,  he  went  down  the  Gila  to  the  Colorado  and  de- 
scended the  latter  stream  alon^  its  banks  perhaps  to  the  mouth. 
On  the  fourth,  1774,  he  went  with  Captain  Anza  to  the  Col- 
orado and  farther  on  to  the  mission  of  San  Gabriel  in  California, 
near  Los  Angeles,  and  in  his  fifth,  and  most  important  one, 
1775-76,   he    again    accompanied    Captain    Anza,    who    was 


Church  of  San  Xavier  del  Bac,  near  Tucson. 
Drawing  by  F.  S.  Dellenbaugh,  after  a  photograph. 


bound  for  the  present  site  of  San  Francisco,  there  to  establish 
a  mission.  Padre  Font  was  Anza's  chaplain,  and  with  Garces's 
aid  later  made  a  map  of  the  country.'  At  Yuma  Garces  left 
the  Anza  party,  went  down  to  the  mouth  of  the  Colorado,  and 
then  up  along  the  river  to  Mohave,  and  after  another  trip  out 
to  San  Gabriel,  he  started  on  the  most  important  part  of  all  his 

'  Font  says  of  Garces  :  "  He  seems  just  like  an  Indian  himself  .  .  .  and  though 
the  food  of  the  Indians  is  as  nasty  and  disgusting  as  their  dirty  selves  the  padre 
eats  it  with  great  gusto."  Dr.  Coues  had  planned  to  publish  a  translation  of 
Font's  important  diary.     See  Garces,  by  Elliot  Coues,  p.  172. 


Captain  Palma 


89 


journeys,  from  Mohave  to  the  Moki  Towns,  the  objective  point 
of  all  entradas  eastward  from  the  Colorado.  The  importance 
attached  at  that  time  to  the  towns  of  the  Moki  probably  seems 
absurd  to  the  reader,  but  it  must  not  be  forgotten  that  the 
Moki  were  cultivators  of  the  soil  and  always  held  a  store  of 
food-stuffs  in  reserve.  They  were  also  builders  of  very  com- 
fortable   houses,   as  I  can    testify  from    personal    experience. 


Cocopa  Woman  Grinding  Corn. 

Photograph  by  Delancy  Gill. 

Thus  they  assumed  a  prominence,  amidst  the  desolation  of  the 
early  centuries,  of  which  the  railway  in  the  nineteenth  speedily 
robbed  them. 

Garces,  like  most  of  his  kind,  was  an  enthusiast  on  the  sub- 
ject of  saving  the  souls  of  the  natives.  "It  made  him  sick  at 
heart,"  says  Coues,  "to  see  so  many  of  them  going  to  hell  for 


90  The  Colorado  River 

lack  of  the  three  drops  of  water  he  would  sprinkle  over  them  if 
only  they  would  let  him  do  it."  With  this  idea  ever  in  mind 
he  toiled  up  and  down  the  lower  Colorado,  and  received  assist- 
ance from  a  Yuma  chief  called  Captain  Palma.  Once  when  he 
came  up  the  river  to  Yuma,  where  he  had  left  Padre  Eisarc, 
the  report  the  latter  gave  was  so  encouraging  that  Garces  ex- 
claims: "I  gave  a  thousand  thanks  to  God  to  hear  them  sing 
psalms  divine  that  the  padre  had  taught  them."  He  further 
declared  that  Captain  Palma  would  put  to  the  blush  for  observ- 
ing the  forms  of  piety,  "many  veteran  Christians,  by  the  rever- 
ence and  humility  with  which  he  assisted  at  the  holy  sacrifice." 
But  alas  for  the  padre's  fond  hopes  I 

The  Yumas  called  the  Colorado  Javill  or  Hahweel  according 
to  Garces ;  and  he  also  says  the  name  Colorado  was  given  be- 
cause, as  the  whole  country  is  coloured,  its  waters  are  tinged 
in  the  month  of  April,  when  the  snows  are  melting,  but  that 
they  are  not  always  red,  which  is  exactly  the  case.  The  name 
is  also  said  to  be  a  translation  of  the  Piman  title  "buqui 
aquimuti. " 

Leaving  Mohave  June  4,  1776,  Garces  struck  eastward  across 
Arizona,  guided  by  some  Wallapais,  but  with  no  white  com- 
panion. These  people  had  told  him  about  the  distance  to 
Moki  and  the  nature  of  the  intervening  region.  Heading 
Diamond  Creek'  on  his  mule,  Garces  made  for  the  romantic 
retreat  of  the  Havasupais  in  the  canyon  of  Cataract  Creek,  a 
tributary  from  the  south  of  the  Grand  Canyon.  He  was  the 
first  white  man,  so  far  as  known,  to  visit  this  place,  and  in 
reaching  it  he  passed  near  the  rim  of  the  great  gorge,  though 
he  did  not  then  see  it.  This  was  the  region  of  the  Aubrey 
cliffs  and  the  place  in  all  probability  where  Cardenas  ap- 
proached the  Grand  Canyon,  236  years  before.  Garces  arrived 
among  the  Havasupai  or  Jabesua,  as  he  called  them,  by  follow- 
ing a  trail  down  their  canyon  that  made  his  head  swim,  and 
was  impassable  to  his  mule,  which  was  taken  in  by  another 

'This  name,  by  the  way,  has  no  connection  with  the  notorious  "Arizona" 
diamond  swindle  of  more  recent  years.  It  bore  this  name  in  Ives's  time  and  the 
swindle  was  much  later — 1872.  The  alleged  diamond  field  also  was  not  in 
Arizona  at  all,  but  in  north-western  Colorado. 


The  Havasupai 


91 


route.  At  one  place  a  ladder  was  even  necessary  to  complete 
the  2000  feet  of  descent  to  the  settlement,  where  a  clear  creek 
suddenly  breaks  from  the  rocks,  and,  rapid  and  blue,  sweeps 


The  Grand  Canyon  from  Bright  Angel  Trail. 

Painting  by  Thomas  Mor.w. 


away  down  2000  or  more  feet  to  the  Colorado,  falling-  in  its 
course  at  one  point  over  a  precipice  in  three  cataracts  aggregat- 
ing 250  feet,  from  A\hich   it  takes  its  name.      Here  are  about 


92  The  Colorado  River 

400  acres  of  arable  land  alon^-  the  creek,  on  which  the  natives 
raise  corn,  beans,  squashes,  peaches,  apricots,  sunflowers,  etc. 
There  are  now  about  200  of  these  people,  and  they  are  of  Yu- 
man  stock.  Garces  was  well  treated  and  rested  here  fiv^e  days. 
Soon  after  leaving  this  retreat  he  "halted  at  the  sight  of  the 
most  profound  caxones  which  ever  onward  continue,  and  within 
these  flows  the  Rio  Colorado." 

"  There  is  seen  [he  continues]  a  very  great  Sierra  which  in  the 
distance  looks  blue,  and  there  runs  from  the  southeast  to  the  north- 
west a  pass  open  to  the  very  base,  as  if  the  sierra  were  cut  artificially 
to  give  entrance  to  the  Rio  Colorado  into  these  lands.  I  named  this 
singular  pass  Puerto  de  Bucareli,'  and  though  to  all  appearances 
would  not  seem  to  be  great  the  difficulty  of  reaching  thereunto,  I 
considered  this  to  be  impossible  in  consequence  of  the  difficult 
caxones  which  intervened.  From  this  position  said  pass  bore  east 
northeast." 

The  padre  is  standing  in  admiration  before  the  long  line  of  the 
Kaibab  seen  as  a  great  sierra  from  this  position  on  the  south- 
east, and  as  the  land  on  the  south  rises  toward  the  rim  it  prob- 
ably appeared  to  him  as  if  the  sierra  were  really  a  continuation 
of  the  San  Francisco  Mountains  on  his  right,  and  was  cut  in 
twain  by  the  great  gorge  of  the  river.  From  his  standpoint  he 
looked  up  Marble  Canyon,  and  all  the  directions  he  mentions 
are  exactly  correct.  They  saw  smokes  on  the  north,  which  his 
guides  said  were  made  by  the  Payuches  (Pai  Utes)  living  on 
the  other  side.  The  Kaivavitz  band  of  Pai  Utes  in  summer 
occupy  their  lands  on  the  summit  of  the  Kaibab,  hunting  deer 
and  camping  in  the  lovely  open  glades  surrounded  by  splendid 
forest.  This  same  day  his  guides  pointed  out  some  tracks  of 
Yabipai  Tejua,  who  go  this  way  to  see  and  trade  with  their 
friends,  "those  who  live,  as  already  said,  on  the  other  side  of 
the  Rio  Colorado."  It  was  one  of  the  intertribal  highways. 
Just  where  it  crossed  the  canyon  is  hard  to  say.  There  were 
several  old  trails,  and  one  came  down  from  the  north,  reaching 
the  river  a  few  miles  below  the  Little  Colorado,  but  where  it 
came  out  on  the  south  side  I  do  not  know.     There  was  once 

'  After  tlie  viceroy. 


Puerto  de  Bucareli  93 

another  trail  which  came  from  the  north  down  the  canyon  of 
Kanab  Creek  and  found  a  way  across  to  the  Coconinos  or 
Havasupai ;  at  least  Jacob  Hamblin  '  told  me  he  was  so  in- 
formed by  the  Pai  Utes.  The  "Hance"  trail,  I  believe,  was 
built  on  the  line  of  an  old  native  one,  and  probably  this  was 
the  one  the  Yabipais  were  heading  for. 


The  Moki  Town  of  Mishongnuvi,  Arizona. 

The  hill  surmounted  by  the  town  lies  itself  on  top  of  a  mesa. 
Photograph  by  E.  O.  Beaman. 

Garces  had  a  good  understanding  of  the  topography,  for  he 
says  when  he  reached  the  Rio  Jaquesila  de  San  Pedro,  as  he 
called  the  Little  Colorado,  that  it  joined  the  main  stream  just 
above  his  Puerto  de  Bucareli.  Coues  thought  it  probable  that 
Cardenas  on  his  way  to  the  Grand  Canyon,  followed  from 
Moki  the  same  trail  Garces  is  now  taking  to  reach  that  place, 
and  that  therefore  the  first  view  Cardenas  had  of  the  canyon 
was  from  near  the  same  place  as  that  of  Garces — that  is,  he  saw 
the  Puerto  de  Bucareli.  This  is  hardly  probable,  as  Garces 
was  only  five  days  reaching  Moki  from  here,  and  Cardenas 
travelled  twenty  from  Tusayan  to  the  canyon.  As  I  pointed 
out  on  a  previous  page,  so  far  as  the  data  go,  Cardenas  reached 
the  Grand  Canyon  opposite  the  east  side  of  the  Shewits 
plateau. 

Of  the  Little  Colorado  Garces  said:  "The  bed  of  this  river 
as  far  as  the  confluence  is  a  trough  of  solid  rock,  very  profound. 

'Jacob  Hamblin,  whom  I  knew  very  well,  was  the  "Leather-stocking"  of 
Utah — a  man  who  knew  the  Amerinds  of  Utah  and  northern  Arizona  better  than 
any  one  who  ever  lived. 


94  The  Colorado  River 

and  wide  about  a  stone's  throw."  That  this  was  an  accurate 
statement  the  view  on  page  95  amply  proves.  Indeed,  the 
accuracy  of  most  of  these  early  Spaniards,  as  to  topography, 
direction,  etc.,  is  extraordinary.  As  a  rule  where  they  are  ap- 
parently wrong  it  is  ourselves  who  are  mistaken,  and  if  we  fully 
understand  their  meaning  we  find  them  to  be  correct.  Garces 
found  his  way  down  to  the  Little  Colorado  by  means  of  a  side 
canyon  and  got  out  again  on  the  other  side  in  the  same  way. 
Finally,  on  July  2nd,  he  arrived  at  the  pueblo  of  Oraibi, 
his  objective  point,  and  when  he  and  his  tired  mule  had 
climbed  up  on  the  mesa  which  bears  the  town,  the  women 
and  children  lined  the  housetops  to  get  a  glimpse  of  the 
singular  stranger. 

Spaniards  were  something  of  a  novelty,  though  by  no 
means  unheard  of,  just  as  even  I  was  something  of  a  novelty 
when  I  visited  Oraibi  one  hundred  years  after  the  Padre 
Garces,  because  the  Oraibis  never  encouraged  white  visitors.' 
The  first  missions  were  established  among  the  Moki  in  1629, 
when  Benavides  was  custodian  of  the  Rio  Grande  district,  and 
included  Zuni  and  Moki  in  his  field.  Three  padres  were  then 
installed  at  Awatuwi,  one  of  the  towns,  on  the  mesa  east  of 
what  is  now  called  the  "East"  Mesa.  Four  were  at  work 
amongst  the  various  towns  at  the  time  of  the  Pueblo  uprising 
in  1680,  and  as  one  began  his  labours  at  Oraibi  as  early  as  1650, 
a  priest  was  not  an  unknown  object  to  the  older  people.  All 
the  missionaries  having  been  killed  in  1680,  and  Awatuwi, 
where  a  fresh  installation  was  made,  having  been  annihilated  in 
1700  by  the  Moki,  for  three-quarters  of  a  century  they  had  seen 
few  if  any  Spaniards.  Therefore  the  women  and  children  were 
full  of  curiosity.  Padre  Escalante  had  been  here  from  Zuni 
the  year  before,  looking  over  the  situation  with  a  view  to  bring- 
ing all  the  Moki  once  more  within  the  fold.  At  that  time 
Escalante  also  tried  to  go  on  to  what  he  called  the  Rio  de  los 

'  A  year  or  two  after  my  visit,  James  Stevenson,  of  the  Bureau  of  Ethnology, 
was  driven  away  from  Oraibi.  Thomas  Keam  and  he  then  went  there  with  a. 
force  of  Navajos  and  compelled  the  surrender  of  the  chiefs  who  had  been  most 
obnoxious.  They  took  them  to  Ream's  Canyon  and  confined  them  on  bread  and 
water  till  they  apologised. 


3  a 


-    33 

■J     -S 


96  The  Colorado  River 

Cosninos,  the  Colorado,  but  he  was  unable  to  accomplish  his 
purpose.  Had  he  once  had  a  view  of  the  Grand  Canyon  it 
would  undoubtedly  have  saved  him  a  good  many  miles  of 
weary  travel  in  his  northern  entrada  of  this  same  year  that 
Garces  reached  Oraibi. 

Garces  was  not  permitted  to  enter  the  house  where  his 
Yabipai  guide  intended  to  stop,  and  he  therefore  made  his  way 
to  a  corner  formed  by  a  jutting  wall,  and  there  unsaddled  his 
faithful  mule,  which  the  Yabipai  took  to  a  sheep  corral.  The 
padre  remained  in  his  corner,  gathering  a  few'  scattered  corn- 
stalks from  the  street,  with  which  he  made  a  fire  and  cooked  a 
little  atdle.  All  day  long  the  people  came  in  succession  to 
stare  at  him.  I  can  testify  to  the  sullen  unfriendliness  of  the 
Oraibi,  and  I  have  seen  few  places  I  have  left  with  greater 
pleasure  than  that  I  felt  when,  in  1885,  I  rode  away  from  this 
town.  Garces  was  not  able  to  make  a  favourable  impression, 
and  after  considering  the  feasibility  of  going  on  to  Zufii,  and 
deciding  against  it,  he  thought  he  would  visit  the  other  towns 
with  a  hope  of  being  better  received,  but  a  few  yells  from  some 
herders  sent  him  back  to  his  Yabipai  guide  and  several  friendly 
Zunis  at  Oraibi,  where  he  occupied  his  corner  again.  In  the 
morning  he  percei\-ed  a  multitude  approaching,  some  bedecked 
with  paint  and  feathers,  and  when  four  of  these  came  forward 
and  ordered  him  to  leave  he  held  up  his  crucifix  and  assured 
them  of  his  desire  to  do  good  to  them.  They  made  wry  faces 
and  cried  "No,  no,"  so  that  he  called  for  his  mule  and  de- 
parted, smiling  upon  them  as  he  went.  He  returned  by  the 
same  route.  It  was  the  4th  of  July  when  Garces  was  expelled 
by  the  Oraibis,  a  declaration  of  independence  on  their  part 
which  they  have  maintained  down  to  the  present  day.  That 
other  Declaration  of  Independence  was  made  on  this  same  day 
on  the  far  Atlantic  coast.  The  Colonies  were  engaged  in  their 
battle  for  freedom,  but  no  sound  of  that  strife  then  reached 
New  ]Mexico,  yet  its  portent  was  great  for  that  region  where, 
three-quarters  of  a  century  later,  the  flag  of  the  Great  Re- 
public should  float  triumphant  over  all. 

Garces  reached  the  Colorado  once  more  on  July  25th,  his 
arduous  journey  absolutely  fruitless  so  far  as  missionary  work 


Garces  Expelled 


97 


was  concerned.      He  arrived  at  his  mission  of  Bac  September 
17,  1776. 

On  July  29,  1776,  another  even  greater  entrada  was  begun 
at  Santa  Fe  by  the  Fray  Padre  Francisco  Silvestre  Velez  Es- 
calante,'  in  his  search  for  a  route  to  Monterey,  unaware  that 
Garces  had  just  traversed,  next  to  that  of  Onate,  the  most 
practicable   short    route   to    be    found.       Garces    had    written 


A  Court  in  Wolpi,  Arizona. 

Drawing  by  F.  S.  Dellenbaugh. 


to  Escalante,  ministro  doctrinero  of  Zuni,  a  letter  from 
Oraibi,  but  as  the  ministro  had  already  departed  for  Santa  Fe, 
leaving  Fray  Mariano  Rosate  in  charge  at  Zuni,  the  letter 
probably   did    not    reach   him    till   his   return.      The   northern 

'  H.  H.  Bancroft  gives  a  map  of  the  route  as  he  understands  it,  History  of 
the  Pacific  States,  p.  35,  vol.  xxv.,also  a  condensation  of  the  diary.  Philip  Harry- 
gives  a  condensation  in  Simpson's  Report,  Appendix  R.,  p.  4S9.  Some  river 
names  have  been  shifted  since  Harry  wrote.  What  we  call  the  Grand,  u]iper 
part,  was  then  the  Blue. 
7 


98 


The  Colorado  River 


country,  notwithstanding  several  small  entradas  and  the  con- 
siderable one  of  Juan  Maria  Ribera  in  1761,  who  went  as  far  as 
Gunnison  River,  was  still  a  terra  incognita,  and  the  distance  to 
the  Pacific  was  also  an  uncertain  quantity,  Escalante  believed 
a  better  road  existed  to  Monterey  by  way  of  the  north  than 
bv  the  middle  route,  and  a  further  incentive  to  journey  that 


A  Zuni  Home. 

Photograph  by  J.  K.  Hillers,  U.  S.  Geol.  Survey. 

way  was  probably  the  rumours  of  large  towns  in  that  direction, 
the  same  will-o'-the-wisp  the  Spaniards  for  nearly  three  cent- 
uries had  been  vainly  pursuing.  The  authorities  had  urged 
two  expeditions  to  Alta  California,  to  establish  communica- 
tion ;  Garces  and  Captain  Anza  had  carried  out  one,  and  now 
Escalante  was  to  execute  the  other. 

Besides  the  ministro  Escalante,  there  were  in  the  party 
eight  persons.  Padre  Francisco  Dominguez,  Juan  Pedro  Cis- 
neros,  alcalde  of  Zuiii,  Bernardo  Miera  y  Pacheco,  capi- 
tain  miliciano  of  Sante  Fe,  Don  Juan  Lain,  and  four  other 
soldiers.  Lain  had  been  with  Ribera  and  was  therefore  of^cial 
guide.  They  went  from  Sante  Fe  by  way  of  Abiquiu  and  the 
Chama  River  to  the  San  Juan  about  where  it  first  meets  the 


lOO 


The  Colorado  River 


north  line  of  New  Mexico,  and  thence  across  the  several  tribu- 
taries to  the  head  of  the  Dolores  River,  which  they  descended 
for  ele\en  days.  I  am  at  a  loss  to  exactly  follow  the  route, 
not  having  been  able  to  consult  either  the  copy  or  the  original 
of  Escalante's  diary.  The  party  made  its  way  across  Grand 
River,  the  Book  Plateau,  White  River,  and  finally  to  the 
Green,  called  the  San  Buenaventura,  which  was  forded,  ap- 
parently near  the  foot  of  Split-Mountain  Canyon.      Here  they 

killed  one   of    the 
*  "^^f^  ij^^^^^^^B  bisons  which  were 

numerous  in  the 
valley.  Following 
the  course  of  the 
:i\er  down  some 
en  leagues,  they 
\\  cut  up  the  Uinta 
t'  and  finally  crossed 
'^  I  he  Wasatch,  com- 
ing down  the  west- 
ern side  evidently 
by  way  of  what 
is  now  known  as 
Spanish  Fork,  to 
Utah  Lake,  then 
illed  by  the  na- 
ii\es  Timpanogos. 
Here  they  heard 
of  a  greater  lake 
to  the  north,  but 
instead  of  seeking 
it  they  turned  their  course  south-westerly  in  what  they  con- 
sidered the  direction  of  Monterey  through  the  Sevier  River 
Valley,  the  Sevier  being  called  the  Santa  Isabel,  and  kept 
down  along  the  western  edge  of  the  High  Plateaus.  It 
being  by  this  time  the  7th  of  October,  Escalante  concludes 
that  it  will  be  impossible  to  reach  Monterey  before  winter  sets 
in  and  persuades  his  companions  that  the  best  thing  to  do  is  to 
strike  for  the  Moki  Towns.     They  cast  lots  to  determine  this. 


Upper  Waters  of  Rio  Virgen 
Photograph  by  J.  K.  Hillers,  U.  S.  Gaol.  Survey. 


Crossing  of  the  Fathers 


lOI 


and  the  decision  is  for  Aloki.  Evidently  he  thought  this  would 
be  an  easy  road.  When  he  was  at  Moki  the  year  before,  had 
he  not  failed  to  go  to  the  Colorado  he  would  have  better  un- 


I**- 


.!?*^'*jri«; 


Pai  Ute  Girls,  Southern  Utah,  Carrying  Water. 

The  jugs  are  wicker  made  tight  with  pitch. 
Photograph  by  J.  K.  Hillers,  U.  S.  Colo.  Riv.  Exp. 

derstood  the  nature  of  the  undertaking  he  now  set  for  his  ex- 
pedition. 

Going  on  southward  past  what  is  now  Parowan,  they  came 
to  the  headwaters  of  a  branch  of  the  Virgen,  in  Cedar  Valley, 
and  this  they  followed  down  to  the  main  stream  which  they 
left  flowing  south-westerly.     The  place  where  they  turned  from 


I02  The  Colorado  River 

it  was  probably  about  at  Toquervillc'  They  were  now  trying 
to  make  their  general  course  south-east.  Could  I  but  see  the 
original  I  certainly  could  identify  the  route  from  here  on,  hav- 
ing been  over  the  region  so  often.  As  Escalante  was  obtaining 
what  information  he  could  from  the  natives,  it  seems  to  me 
that  his  first  course  "south-east  "  was  to  Pipe  Spring  along  the 
foot  of  the  Vermilion  Cliffs,  then  his  "north-east  "  was  up  to- 
ward Kanab  and  through  Nine-Mile  Valley  to  the  head  of  the 
Kaibab,  where  a  trail  led  him  over  to  House  Rock  Valley,  on 
his  "south-east  "  tack,  skirting  the  Vermilion  Cliffs  again.  But 
they  lost  it  and  struck  the  river  at  Marble  Canyon,  through  a 
misunderstanding  of  the  course  of  the  trail,  which  bore  easterly 
and  then  northerly  around  the  base  of  the  cliffs  to  what  is  now 
Lee's  Ferry,  where  there  was  an  ancient  crossing.  Another 
trail  goes  (or  did  go)  across  the  north  end  of  the  Paria  Plateau 
and  divides,  one  branch  coming  down  the  high  cliffs  about 
three  miles  up  the  Paria  from  the  mouth,  by  a  dizzy  and  zig- 
zag path,  and  the  other  keeping  on  to  the  south-east  and  strik- 
ing the  river  at  the  very  point  for  which  Escalante  was  evidently 
now  searching.  Perhaps  the  Pai  Utes  had  told  him  of  this 
trail  as  well  as  the  one  he  tried  to  follow,  which  would  have 
taken  him  to  the  Lee's  Ferry  crossing  about  thirty-five  miles 
below.  He  seems  to  have  reached  the  brink  of  Marble  Can- 
yon, perhaps  half-way  between  the  Paria  and  the  Little  Col- 
orado,* and  followed  up-stream  first  north  and  then  (beyond 
Paria)  north-east,  hunting  for  a  ford.  Twice  he  succeeded  in 
descending  to  the  water,  but  both  times  was  unable  to  cross. 
They  had  now  become  so  reduced  in  food  that  they  were 
obliged  to  eat  some  of  their  horses.  With  great  difificulty  they 
climbed  over  the  cliffs,  and  at  the  end  of  twelve  days  from 
their  first  arrival  at  the  river  they  found  the  ford,  which  ever 
since  has  been  called  El  Vado  de  los  Padres.  This  was  the 
8th  of  November,  1776.      The  entrance  to  the  river  from  the 

'  From  here  to  the  California  mission  of  San  Gabriel  would  hardly  have  been 
as  difficult  as  the  route  taken,  excepting  perhaps  the  matter  of  water,  and  little  if 
any  further  than  the  distance  to  Santa  Fe,  but  the  Pai  Utes  could  give  him  no  in- 
formation of  the  distance  to  the  sea. 

*  There  was  an  old  crossing  near  there,  also. 


Garces  at  Yuma 


103 


west,  the  side  of  their  approach,  is  through  a  small  canyon  in 
the  homogeneous  sandstone,  no  more  than  ten  fec-t  wide.  The 
course  is  then  about  half  a  mile  down  the  middle  of  the  river 
over  a  long  bar  or  shoal  to  the  opposite  side,  where  the  exit  is 
made  upon  a  rocky  slope.  It  is  a  most  difficult  ford.  The 
trail  through  the  water  at  the  low  stage,  when,  only,  fording  is 
possible,  is  marked  by  piles  of 
large  stones.  There  is  no  ford  at 
the  Lee's  Ferry  crossing. 

From  this  Crossing- of -the - 
Fathers,  just  above  where  the 
river  enters  Arizona,  to  the  Moki 
Towns  Escalante  had  a  plain  trail, 
and  a  much  simpler  topography, 
and  had  no  difficulty  in  arriving 
there.  The  remainder  of  his  road, 
from  Moki  to  Zuni  and  around 
to  Santa  Fe,  was  one  he  had 
travelled  before,  and  the  party 
soon  completed  the  circuit  of 
more  than  1500  miles  mainly 
through  unknown  country,  one 
of  the  most  remarkable  explora- 
tions ever  carried  out  in  the  West. 
It  is  sometimes  stated  that  Es- 
calante crossed  the  Grand  Canyon, 
but,  as  is  perfectly  plain  from  the 
data,  he  did  not ;  in  fact,  he  could 
not  have  done  it  with  horses. 

Garces  was  not  yet  finished  with  his  labours  on  the  lower 
Colorado,  and  we  will  return  to  him.  The  authorities  had  de- 
cided to  establish  there  two  nondescript  settlements,  a  sort  of 
cross  between  mission,  pueblo,  and  presidio.  Captain  Palma, 
the  Yuma  chief,  whose  devotions  and  piety  had  so  delighted 
the  good  Father,  was  eager  to  have  missions  started,  and  con- 
stantly importuned  the  government  to  grant  them.  Garces, 
therefore,  went  to  Yuma  again  in  1779  to  prepare  the  way,  and 
in  1780  two  of  the  hybrid  affairs  were  inaugurated,  one  at  what 


Ashtishkel,  a  Navajo  Cliief. 

Photograph  by  E.  O.   Beaman, 

U.  S.  Colo.  Riv.  Exp. 


I04  The  Colorado  River 

is  now  Fort  Yuma,  called  Puerto  de  la  Purisima  Concepcion, 
after  the  little  canyon  hard  by,  so  named  by  Garces  previously, 
a  canyon  fifty  feet  deep  and  a  thousand  feet  long;  the  other, 
about  eight  miles  down,  called  San  Pedro  y  San  Pablo  de 
Bicuner.  There  were  four  padres;  Garces  and  Barraneche 
at  the  upper  station,  and  Diaz  and  Moreno  at  the  lower.  Each 
place  had  eight  or  ten  soldiers,  a  few  colonists,  and  a  few 
labourers.  The  Spaniards  were  obliged  to  appropriate  some 
of  the  best  lands  to  till  for  the  support  of  the  missions,  and 
this,  together  with  the  general  poverty  of  the  establishments 
when  he  had  expected  something  fine,  disgusted  Palma  and 
exasperated  him  and  the  other  Yumas.  In  June,  1781,  Cap- 
tain Moncada,  lieutenant-governor  of  Lower  California,  arrived 
with  soldiers  and  recruits  en  route  for  California  settlements, 
and  encamped  opposite  Yuma.  After  some  of  these  people 
had  been  sent  forward  or  back  as  the  plans  demanded,  Mon- 
cada remained  at  the  camp  with  a  few  of  his  soldiers.  No  one 
suspected  the  tornado  which  was  brewing.  All  the  life  of  the 
camp,  of  the  missions,  and  of  the  Yumas  went  on  with  the 
same  apparent  smoothness,  but  it  was  only  a  delusion  suddenly 
and  horribly  dispelled  on  the  fateful  17th  of  July.  Without  a 
sign  preliminary  to  the  execution  of  their  wrath.  Captain 
Palma  and  all  his  band  threw  piety  to  the  winds,  and  anni- 
hilated with  clubs  Moncada's  camp  and  most  of  the  men  in  the 
two  missions.  Garces  and  his  assistant,  Barraneche,  were  at 
first  spared.  Even  the  conscience  of  Palma  hesitated  to  mur- 
der the  good  and  amiable  Garces,  who  had  never  been  to  him 
and  his  people  anything  but  a  kind  and  generous  friend,  but 
the  rabble  declared  these  two  were  the  worst  of  all,  and  under 
this  pressure  Palma  yielded.  It  was  the  last  terrible  scene  of 
this  act  in  the  life-drama  we  are  following.  The  lights  were 
out,  the  curtain  down.  Military  expeditions  were  sent  to 
avenge  the  massacre,  but  they  might  as  well  have  chased  the 
stars.  The  missions  on  the  Colorado  were  ended.  Never 
again  was  an  attempt  made  to  found  one.  The  desert  relapsed 
into  its  former  complete  subjection  to  the  native  tribes,  and 
the  indifferent  Colorado  swept  on  to  the  conflict  with  the  sea- 
waves  as  if  neither  white  man  nor  Amerind  had  ever  touched 


Death  of  Garces 


105 


its  waters.  Nearly  half  a  century  passed  before  the  face  of  a 
white  man  was  again  seen  at  the  mouth  of  the  river,  and  all 
the  toil  of  Kino,  Garces,  and  the  rest  was  apparently  as  com- 
pletely wasted  as  if  they  had  tried  to  stop  the  flow  of  the 
Colorado  with  a  broom. 


— ~»ff-  -r? 


-  ^/^ii^t 


T>?!^. 


CHAPTER   V 

Breaking  the  Wilderness — Wanderings  of  the  Trappers  and  Fur  Traders — General 
Ashley  in  Green  River  Valley,  1824 — Pattie  along  the  Grand  Canyon,  1826 — 
Lieut.  Hardy,  R.N.,  in  a  Schooner  on  the  Lower  Colorado,  1826 — Jedediah 
Smith,  Salt  Lake  to  San  Gabriel,  1S26 — Pattie  on  the  Lower  Colorado  in 
Canoes,  1827-2S, 

AS  the  "sweet  Afton  "  of  old  gently  flowing  among  its 
green  braes  compares  with  the  fierce  Colorado,  so  do 
those  earnest  padres  who  so  faithfully  tried  to  plant  their  cross 
in  the  waste  places,  as  sketched  in  the  chapter  just  closed  with 
the  martyrdom  of  Garces,  compare  with  the  new  set  of  actors 
that  now  appear,  as  the  development  of  this  drama  of  the 
wilderness  continues.  The  former  fitted  well  into  the  strange 
scenery;  they  became  apart  of  it;  they  fraternised  with  the 
various  tribes  native  to  the  land,  and  all  things  together  went 
forward  with  pictorial  harmony.  They  were  like  a  few  mellow 
figures  blended  skilfully  into  the  deep  tones  of  an  ancient  can- 
vas. But  now  the  turbulent  spirit  of  the  raging  river  itself  per- 
vades the  new-comers  who  march  imperiously  upon  the  mighty 
stage  with  the  heavy  tread  of  the  conqueror,  out  of  tune  with 
the  soft  old  melody ;  temporising  with  nothing ;  with  a  heed- 
less stroke,  like  the  remorseless  hand  of  Fate,  obliterating  all 
obstacles  to  their  progress.  Not  theirs  the  desire  to  save  na- 
tives from  perdition  ;  rather  to  annihilate  them  speedily  as  use- 
less relics  of  a  bygone  time.  They  are  savages  among  savages; 
quite  as  interesting  and  delightful  in  their  way  as  the  older  oc- 
cupants of  the  soil.  It  became  in  reality  the  conflict  of  the  old 
and  the  new,  and  then  was  set  the  standard  by  which  the  na- 
tive tribes  have  ever  since  been  measured  and  dealt  with. 

106 


South  Pass  Discovered  107 

The  inevitable  was  simply  coming  to  pass:  one  more  act  in 
the  world-play  of  continental  subjugation  to  the  European. 
The  United  States,  born  in  privation  and  blood,  were  grow- 
ing into  a  nation  eager  for  expansion,  and  by  1815  they  had 
already  ventured  beyond  the  Mississippi,  having  purchased 
from  France  all  territory  north  of  Red  River,  the  Arkansas, 
and  the  42nd  parallel,  as  far  as  the  unsettled  British  boundary 
and  the  disputed  region  of  Oregon.  Naturally,  then,  Ameri- 
cans wanted  to  know  what  was  to  be  found  in  this  vast  tract 
unknown  to  them,  and  when  a  few  bold  spirits  pushed  out  to 
the  great  mountains  it  was  discovered  that  fur-bearing  animals 
existed  in  multitude.  In  the  trapping  of  these  and  the  trad- 
ing in  their  pelts  a  huge  industry  sprang  up.  In  this  trade 
future  millionaires  laid  their  foundations. 

The  beaver  were  then  the  most  profitable  of  all,  and  they 
were  the  most  abundant.  The  pelts  were  estimated  by 
"packs,"  each  of  which  consisted  of  about  eighty  skins, 
weighing  one  hundred  pounds,  and  worth  in  the  mountains 
from  three  hundred  to  five  hundred  dollars.  The  profits  were 
thus  speedy  and  very  great.  In  the  search  for  the  richest  re- 
wards the  trapper  continually  pushed  farther  and  farther  away 
from  the  "States,"  encroaching  at  length  on  the  territory 
claimed  by  Spain,  a  claim  to  be  soon  (1821)  adopted  by  the 
new-born  Mexican  Republic.  Trespassing  on  the  tribal  rights 
of  Blackfoot,  Sioux,  Ute,  or  any  other  did  not  enter  into  any 
one's  mind  as  something  to  be  considered.  Thus,  rough-shod 
the  trapper  broke  the  wilderness,  fathomed  its  secret  places, 
traversed  its  trails  and  passes,  marking  them  with  his  own 
blood  and  more  vividly  with  that  of  the  natives.  Incidentally, 
by  right  of  their  discoveries  and  occupation  of  the  wilderness, 
much  of  it  became  by  the  law  of  nations  a  part  of  the  lands  of 
the  United  States,  though  still  nominally  claimed  by  Mexico. 
Two  years  after  the  return  of  the  famous  Lewis-and-Clark  ex- 
pedition, Andrew  Henry  "discovered  "  South  Pass  (1808),  and 
led  his  party  through  it  into  the  Green  River'  Valley.      His 

'  The  name  Green  River  was  used  as  early  as  1824,  and  was  probalily  derived 
from  the  name  of  the  early  trapper.  Till  about  1835  it  was  usually  called  by  the 
Crow  name,  .Seedskeedee. 


io8  The  Colorado  River 

discovery  consisted,  like  many  others  of  the  time,  in  following 
up  the  bison  trails  and  the  hiLjliways  of  the  natives.  The  lat- 
ter, of  course,  knew  every  foot  of  the  whole  country ;  each 
tribe  its  own  special  lands  and  more  or  less  into  and  across 
those  of  its  neighbours. 

By  the  time  the  third  decade  of  the  nineteenth  century 
was  fairly  begun  the  trappers  were  crossing  in  considerable 
numbers  from  the  headwaters  of  the  Missouri  and  the  Platte 
into  the  valley  of  the  Colorado  and  the  Columbia,  and  as  early 
as  1824  one  of  the  most  brilliant  figures  of  this  epoch,  General 
Ashley,'  having  previously  organised  a  fur-trading  company  in 
St.  Louis,  then  the  centre  of  all  Western  commerce,  had  estab- 
lished himself  in  Green  River  Valley  with  a  large  band  of  ex- 
pert trappers  which  included  now  famous  names  like  Henry, 
Bridger,  Fitzpatrick,  Green,  Sublet,  and  Beckwourth.  Provo 
(or  Provost)  was  already  encamped  in  Brown's  Hole.  One  of 
Ashley's  principal  camps  was  what  they  called  the  "rendez- 
vous "  (there  were  a  great  many  French-Canadians  engaged  in 
the  fur  business,  and  hence  numerous  French  words  were  in 
common  use  among  the  trappers  of  the  period),  just  above 
"The  Suck,"  on  Green  River.  This  Suck  was  at  the  entrance 
to  Flaming  Gorge,  as  it  has  since  been  named.  Beckwourth 
says  of  this:  "The  current,  at  a  small  distance  from  our  camp, 
became  exceedingly  rapid,  and  drew  toward  the  centre  from 
each  shore."  The  river  here  narrows  suddenly  and  attacks  a 
high  ridge.  Doubling  around  a  point  to  the  left  and  then  as 
suddenly  to  the  right,  the  swift  water  or  "Suck  "  slackens  up 
in  the  quieter  reach  of  Flaming  Gorge.  In  their  journeys 
after  beaver  the  Ashley  party  had  been  able  to  go  into  this 
gorge  and  the  two  following  ones.  Horseshoe  and  Kingfisher, 
and  had  doubtless  trapped  in  them.  Here  were  many  beaver, 
and  Ashley  drew  the  inference  that  as  many  existed  below  in 
the  deeper  canyon.  Though  he  had  discovered  the  dangerous 
character  of  the  river  he  decided  to  build  boats  and  set  forth  on 

'  \Vm.  Henry  Ashley,  born  in  Virginia,  1778  ;  went  to  Missouri  1802  ;  general 
of  militia;  elected  first  governor  1S20  ;  went  into  fur  trade  1S22  with  Andrew 
Henry  ;  elected  to  Congress  1831  ;  twice  re-elected  ;  continued  in  office  till  March 
4,  1837. — Chittenden. 


I  lo  The  Colorado  River 

the  current  in  order  to  trap  the  canyon,  the  length  of  which  he 
did  not  know  and  underestimated.  A  purpose  of  reaching  St. 
Louis  by  this  route  has  been  attributed  to  Ashley,  but  as  Hunt 
and  others  some  years  before  understood  this  to  be  a  stream  on 
whose  lower  waters  Spaniards  lived,  Ashley  doubtless  had  the 
same  information,  and  from  that  he  would  have  knov/n  that  it 
was  no  practicable  route  to  St.  Louis.  Beckwourth,  who  relates 
the  story  of  the  trip,'  makes  no  suggestion  of  any  far-off  des- 
tination, nor  does  he  say  they  took  their  packs  along,  as  they 


Flaming;  Gorge,  Green  River.      Beginning  of  tlie  Canyons. 

Picture  taken  just  inside  the  entrance.       Walls  1300  feet. 

Photograph  by  E.  O.  Beaman,  U.  S.  Colo.  Riv.  Exp. 

would  have  done  if  going  to  a  commercial  centre.  It  seems 
to  have  been  purely  a  trapping  expedition,  and  was  probably 
the  very  first  attempt  to  navigate  Green  River.  They  took 
along  few  provisions,  expecting  to  find  beaver  plentiful  to  the 
end  of  the  canyon,  but  after  a  few  miles  the  beaver  were  ab- 

'  Life  and  Adventures  of  fames  P.  Beckwourth,  edited  by  T.  D.  Bonner. 
Beckwourth  was  always  called  "  Beckwith  "  in  the  mountains,  but  this  was  probably 
only  a  perversion  of  the  original,  though  Chittenden  seems  to  think  he  only  as- 
sumed the  former  spelling  on  publishing  his  book. 


Ashley's  Voyage 


II I 


sent,  and,  having  preserved  none  of  the  meat,  the  party  began 
to  suffer  for  food.  They  were  six  days  without  eating,  and,  the 
high  precipitous  walls  running  ever  on  and  on,  they  became 
disheartened,  or,  in  Western  phrase,  "demoralised,"  and  pro- 
posed  to   cast   lots   to  find  which  should  make  food  for  the 


Red  Canyon  at  Low  Water. 

Length  25  miles.     Walls  1800  to  2500  feet  high.     Average  width  of  river,  250  feet. 


others,  a  proposition  which  horrified  Ashley,  and  he  begged 
them  to  hold  out  longer,  assuring  them  that  the  walls  must 
soon  break  and  enable  them  to  escape.  They  had  not  ex- 
pected so  long  a  gorge.  Red  Canyon  is  twenty-five  miles  and, 
with  the  three  above,  the  unbroken  canyon  is  about  thirty-five 


112  The  Colorado  River 

miles.  Under  the  circumstances  the  canyon  seemed  intermin- 
able and  the  cliffs  insurmountable.  The  latter  grow  more  pre- 
cipitous toward  the  lower  end,  and  scaling  would  be  a  difficult 
feat  for  a  man  well  fed  and  strong,  though  well-nigh  hopeless 
for  any  weakened  by  lack  of  proper  food.  At  last,  however, 
an  opening  appeared.  Here  they  discovered  Provo  encamped 
with  an  abundance  of  provisions,  so  their  troubles  were 
quickly  over.  The  opening  they  had  arrived  at  was  probably 
Brown's  Hole.  There  is  only  one  other  place  that  might  be 
called  an  opening,  and  this  is  a  small  park-like  break  on  the 
right  side  of  the  river,  not  far  above  Brown's  Hole,  formerly 
called  Little  Brown's  Hole  and  also  Ashley  Park.  The  Ashley 
men  would  have  had  a  hard  climb  to  get  out  of  this  place,  and 
it  is  not  probable  that  Provo  would  have  climbed  into  it,  as  no 
beaver  existed  there.  It  seems  positi\'e,  then,  that  Ashley  came 
to  Provo  in  Brown's  Hole.  Thus  he  did  not  "make  his  peri- 
lous way  through  Brown's  Hole,"  as  one  author  says,  because 
he  ended  his  journey  with  the  beginning  of  that  peaceful  park. 
They  lost  two  of  their  boats  and  several  guns  in  Red  Canyon, 
and  Ashley  left  there  a  mark  to  identify  the  time  of  his  pass- 
age. He  wrote  his  name  and  the  date,  1825,  on  a  large  rock 
above  a  sharp  fall,  which  was  (later,  1869,)  named  in  his  honour. 
I  saw  this  inscription  in  1871  and  made  a  careful  copy  of  it, 
__  ___  which   is  given  here.     See  also  the  illustra- 

_  /\<«'aX»Ejf  tion  of  Ashley  Falls  on  page  113.  The  lo- 
-.     ip9,5  cation    of    it     is    just    west     of    C    in    the 

"*^^^K^^JIlj,-7Y'-r--^  words  "Red  Canon  "  on  the  map,  page  109. 
In  the  canyon  of  Lodore,  at  the  foot  of 
Disaster  Falls,  we  found  some  wreckage  in  the  sand,  a  bake- 
oven,  tin  plates,  knives,  etc.,  which  Powell  first  saw  in  1869, 
but  these  could  not  have  belonged  to  Ashley's  party,  for 
plainly  Ashley  did  not  enter  Lodore  at  all.  It  was  evident- 
ly from  some  later  expedition  which  probably  started  from 
Brown's  Park,  in  the  days  of  Fort  Davy  Crockett. 

Provo  had  plenty  of  horses,  and  Ashley  and  his  men 
joined  him  going  out  to  Salt  Lake,  where  Provo  had  come 
from. 

The  year  following  Ashley's  attempt  to  trap  Green  River 


«      a!  "^ 


o 
u 


114  The  Colorado  River 

was  a  most  eventful  one  in  the  history  of  the  Colorado.  Time 
appeared  to  be  ripe  for  ijreat  journeys.  The  Mexicans  out- 
side of  California  were  more  amiably  inclined,  and  granted 
privileges  to  trappers  in  New  Mexico.  Two  men  who  were 
among  the  first  to  push  their  way  into  New  Mexico  were 
James  O.  Pattie  and  his  father,  and  the  narrative  of  their  ex- 
periences as  told  by  the  younger  Pattie  is  one  of  the  most 
thrilling  and  interesting  books  of  Western  adventure  ever  pub- 
'lished.'  They  had  trapped  on  the  Gila,  or  "Helay,"  as  they 
called  it  in  1825,  and  the  next  year  they  went  back  there  with 
a  party,  trapping  the  Gila  and  its  tributaries  with  gratifying 
success."  Working  their  way  down  the  Gila,  they  eventually 
reached  its  junction  with  what  they  called  Red  River,  the  Great 
Colorado.  Following  up  the  Colorado,  probably  the  first 
white  men  to  travel  here  since  the  time  of  Garces,  they  rode 
through  a  camp  of  Coco-Maricopas,  who  ran  frightened  away, 
and  the  Pattie  party,  passing  them  by  as  if  they  were  mere 
chaff,  camped  four  miles  farther  on,  where  they  were  visited 
by  about  one  hundred,  "all  painted  red  in  token  of  amity." 
Farther  up  they  entered  the  Mohave  country.  When  they 
met  some  of  the  inhabitants  they  "marched  directly  through 
their  village,  the  women  and  children  screaming  and  hiding 
themselves  in  their  huts."  Three  miles  above,  the  Patties 
camped,  and  a  number  of  the  Mohaves  soon  came  to  see  them. 
They  did  not  like  the  looks  of  the  chief,  who  made  signs  that 
he  wanted  a  horse  as  payment  for  the  privilege  of  trapping  in 
his  domain.  As  the  trappers  recognised  no  rights  on  the  part 
of  the  natives,  they  peremptorily  refused,  whereat  the  chief 
drew  himself  erect  with  a  stern  and  fierce  air  and  sent  an 
arrow  into  a  tree,  at  the  same  time  "raising  his  hand  to  his 
mouth  and  making  their  peculiar  yell."  The  captain  of  the 
Pattie  band  replied  by  taking  his  gun  and  shooting  the  arrow 
in  two.      Driven  out  of  the  camp  the  following  day,  the  chief 

'  The  Personal  Narrative  of  James  O.  Pattie^  of  Kentucky,  etc.,  edited  by 
Timothy  Flint.  Cincinnati,  E.  H.  Flint,  1833.  There  is  a  copy  in  the  Astor 
Library,  New  York. 

'  There  were  two  classes  of  trappers,  the  free  and  those  in  the  employ  of  some 
company.     The  Patties  belonged  to  the  former  class. 


ii6 


The  Colorado  River 


shot  a  horse  as  he  rode  past  it  and  was  liiniself  instantly  pierced 
with  four  rifle  balls. 

A  band  of  his  followers,  armed,  of  course,  with  only  bows 
and  arrows,  next  day  made  a  concerted  attack,  but  were  cut 
down  by  the  rifles  and  fine  marksmanship  of  the  Americans. 
As  these  Mohaves  had  been  good  friends  to  Garces,  and  after- 
wards treated  Americans  well  till  they  were  instigated  by  the 
Spaniards  to  fight,  it  is  probable  that  a  somewhat  more  con- 


Entrance  to  Black  Canyon,  first  seen  by  James  O.  Pattie. 
Photograph  by  Wheeler  Exp. 


ciliatory  approach  might  have  avoided  the  trouble  this  party 
experienced. 

Farther  up  they  reached  the  "Shuenas,"  who  had  appar- 
ently never  before  heard  the  report  of  a  gun,  and  on  the  25th 
of  March  they  arrived  at  what  we  now  call  Bill  Williams  Fork. 
A  party  was  sent  up  this  stream  to  trap.  As  they  did  not  re- 
turn next  day  according  to  the  plan,  scouts  were  dispatched, 
who  found  the  bodies  cut  to  pieces  and  spitted  before  a  great 
fire. 

On  the  28th  of  March  they  came  to  a  place  on  the  river 


Pattie  at  Black  Canyon  1 1 7 

where  "the  mountains  shut  in  so  close  upon  its  shores  that  we 
were  compelled  to  climb  a  mountain  and  travel  along  the 
aclivity,  the  river  still  in  sight,  and  at  an  immense  depth  be- 
neath us."  This  was  probably  Black  Canyon;  they  are  the 
first  white  men  on  record  to  reach  it.  They  now  took  a  re- 
markable journey  of  fourteen  days,  but  unfortunately  little  de- 
tail is  given,  probably  because  Pattie's  editor  considered  a  cut 
across  the  country  of  little  importance.  They  travelled,  they 
thought,  one  hundred  leagues  along  these  canyons,  with  the 
"river  bluffs  on  the  opposite  shore  never  more  than  a  mile" 
from  them.'  Thus  they  evidently  did  not  see  the  Grand  Can- 
yon at  its  widest  part.  By  April  loth  they  arrived  "where  the 
river  emerges  from  these  horrid  mountains,  which  so  cage  it  up 
as  to  deprive  all  human  beings  of  the  ability  to  descend  to  its 
banks  and  make  use  of  its  waters.  No  mortal  has  the  power 
of  describing  the  pleasure  I  felt  when  I  could  once  more  reach 
the  banks  of  the  river."  They  had  suffered  for  food  on  this 
journey,  but  now  they  were  again  in  a  beaver  country  and  also 
killed  plenty  of  elk,  the  skins  of  which  they  dressed  for  cloth- 
ing. They  had  made  the  first  extended  trip  on  record  along 
the  Grand  Canyon  and  the  other  canyons  of  the  Colorado,  but 
whether  they  passed  up  by  the  north  or  the  south  I  am  unable 
to  determine.  My  impression  is  that  they  passed  by  the  north, 
as  they  would  otherwise  have  met  with  the  Havasupai  in  their 
Canyon,  with  the  Little  Colorado,  and  with  the  Moki.  They 
would  also  have  struck  the  San  Juan,  but  the  first  stream  men- 
tioned as  coming  in  is  from  the  north,  which  they  reached  three 
days  after  arriving  at  the  place  where  they  could  get  to  the 
water.  Three  days  after  leaving  this  they  met  a  large  bod}-  of 
Shoshones.  They  appear  now  to  be  somewhere  on  Grand 
River.  They  had  a  brush  with  the  Shoshones,  whom  they 
defeated,  and  then  compelled  the  women  to  exchange  six  scalps 
of  Frenchmen  whom  the  Shoshones  had  killed  on  the  head- 
waters of  the  Platte,  for  scalps  of  members  of  their  own  party 
of  whom  the  Patties  had  killed  eight.      They  also  took  from 

'  "  It  is  perhaps  this  very  long  and  formidable  range  of  mountains,"  says 
Pattie,  "  which  has  caused  that  this  country  of  Red  River  has  not  been  more 
explored,"  p.  g8. 


ii8  The  Colorado  River 

them  all  the  stolen  beaver-skins,  five  mules,  and  their  dried 
buffalo  meat.  After  this  interchant^e  of  civilities  the  trappers 
went  on  to  where  the  river  forked  again,  neither  fork  being 
more  than  twenty-five  or  thirty  yards  wide.  The  right-hand- 
fork  pursued  a  north-east  course,  and  following  it  four  days 
brought  them  (probably  in  Middle  Park)  to  a  large  village  of 
the  "Nabahoes."  Of  these  they  inquired  as  to  the  pass  over 
the  mountains  (Continental  Divide)  and  were  informed  they 
must  follow  the  left-hand  fork,  which  they  accordingly 
did,  and  on  the  thirty-first  day  of  May,  1826,  came  to  the 
gap,  which  they  traversed,  by  following  the  buffalo  trails 
through  the  snow,  in  six  days.  Then  they  descended  to  the 
Platte,  and  went  on  north  to  the  Yellowstone,  making  in  all 
a  traverse  of  the  whole  Rocky  Mountain  region  probably 
never  since  surpassed,  and  certainly  never  before  approached. 
A  few  months  later  a  lieutenant  of  the  British  Navy,  R.  \V. 
H.  Hardy,  travelling  in  Mexico,  chartered  in  the  port  of  Guay- 
mas  a  twenty-five-ton  schooner,  the  Briija  or  Sea  Witch,  and 
sailed  up  the  Gulf  of  California.  Encountering  a  good  deal  of 
trouble  in  high  winds  and  shoals  he  finally  reached  a  vein  of 
reddish  water  which  he  surmised  came  from  "Red  River,"  and 
at  two  o'clock  of  the  same  day  he  saw  an  opening  ahead  which 
he  took  to  be  the  mouth  of  the  river.  An  hour  later  all  doubt 
was  dispelled,  and  by  half-past  six  he  came  to  anchor  for  the 
night  at  the  entrance,  believing  the  tide  to  be  at  nearly  low 
water.  "In  the  middle  of  the  night,"  he  says,  "I  was  awak- 
ened by  the  dew  and  the  noise  of  jackals.  I  took  this  oppor- 
tunity of  examining  the  lead  which  had  been  left  hanging 
alongside,  to  see  what  water  we  had.  What  was  my  astonish- 
ment to  find  only  a  foot  and  a  half.  The  crew  was  sound 
asleep.  Not  even  the  sentinel  was  able  to  keep  his  eyes  open. 
They  got  off  without  damage  at  the  rise  of  the  tide,  but  the 
next  day  misfortune  awaited  the  schooner.  The  helmsman 
neglecting  his  duty  for  a  moment  as  they  were  working  up  the 
stream,  the  vessel  lost  headway,  and  the  fierce  current  immedi- 
ately swept  her,  stern  foremost,  into  the  bank  and  broke  the 
rudder.  After  much  labour  the  Briija  was  finally  again  placed 
in  the  stream,  where  they  waited  for  slack   water,  expecting 


The  Navajo  Type. 
Photograph  by  J.  K.  Hillers,  U.  S.  Gaol.  Survey. 


I20  The  Colorado  River 

then  to  ship  the  rudder.  "But  in  the  Rio  Colorado,"  he  de- 
clares with  italics,  ''there  is  no  such  tJiing  as  slack  ivatcr. 
Before  the  ebb  has  finished  runnin<^  the  flood  commences, 
boiling  up  full  eighteen  inches  above  the  surface  and  roaring 
like  the  rapids  of  Canada."  Had  he  known  what  we  now 
know  he  might  have  found  a  simile  nearer  his  position  at  the 
moment.  Finding  he  could  make  no  further  progress  with  the 
schooner,  he  took  a  small  boat  and  continued  his  voyage  in  it, 
though  not  for  any  great  distance,  as  he  returned  to  the  vessel 
at  night.  Five  or  six  thousand  Yumas  were  seen,  but  they 
were  entirely  friendly.  He  thought  the  mouth  of  the  Gila 
was  below  his  stranded  vessel,  but  he  was  mistaken  in  this,  for 
it  was  in  reality  a  great  many  miles  farther  up.  What  he  took 
for  the  Gila  was  the  main  Colorado  itself,  and  what  he  thought 
was  the  Colorado  was  only  a  bayou  or  flood-water  channel.  It 
being  midsummer  the  river  was  at  flood.  The  bayou  is  still 
called  the  False  or  Hardy's  Colorado. 

After  eight  days  of  waiting  they  at  last  got  their  rudder 
shipped,  the  vessel  on  the  tide,  and  went  back  down  the 
stream,  one  of  the  Yuma  women  swimming  after  them  till 
taken  on  board.  She  was  landed  at  the  first  opportunity. 
The  interpreter  told  Hardy  his  was  the  first  vessel  that  had 
ever  visited  the  river,  and  that  they  took  it  for  a  large  bird. 
Tlie  lieutenant  was  evidently  not  posted  on  the  history  of  the 
region,  and  the  Yuma  was  excusable  for  not  having  a  memory 
that  went  back  eighty  years.'  Hardy  gave  some  of  the  names 
that  still  hold  on  that  part  of  the  river,  like  Howard's  Reach, 
where  his  Bruja  was  stranded,  Montague  and  Gore  Islands,  etc. 

The  same  month  that  Hardy  sailed  away  from  the  mouth  of 
the  Colorado,  August,  1826,  Jedediah  Smith  started  from  Salt 
Lake  (the  22d),  passed  south  by  Ashley's  or  Utah  Lake,  and, 
keeping  down  the  west  side  of  the  Wasatch  and  the  High  Pla- 
teaus, reached  the  Virgen  River  near  the  south-western  corner  of 
Utah.  This  he  called  Adams  River  in  honour  of  the  President 
of  the  United  States.  Following  it  south-west  through  the  Pai 
Ute  country  for  twelve  days  he  came  to  its  junction  with  what 

'  Fernando  Consag  entered  the  river,  1746,  looking  for  mission  sites,  and  two 
centuries  before  that  was  Alar^on. 


Jedediah  Smith 


121 


he  called  the  Seedskeedee,  knowing  it  to  be  the  same  stream  so- 
called  in  the  north.  This  was  the  Colorado.  Proceeding  down 
the  Colorado  to  the  Mohaves  he  was  kindly  received  by  them 
and  remained  some  time  recuperating  his  stock.  It  may  seem 
strange  that  the  Mohaves  should  be  so  perverse,  killing  one 
set  of  trappers  and  treating  another  like  old  friends,  but  the 
secret  of  the  difference  on  this  occasion,  perhaps,  lay  in  the  dif- 
ference of  approach.  Jedediah  Smith  was  a  sort  of  reincarna- 
tion of  the  old  padres,  and  of  all  the  trappers  the  only  one 


6S  J.AvJ£^^3iS,I-kBM^ 


Upper  Valley  of  the  Virgen. 

Photograph  by  C.  R.  Savage. 


apparently  who  allowed  piety  or  humanitarianism  to  sway  his 
will.  His  piety  was  universally  known.  It  was  not  an  affecta- 
tion, but  a  genuine  religion  which  he  carried  about  with  him 
into  the  fastnesses  of  the  mountains.  Leaving  the  Mohaves  he 
crossed  the  desert  to  the  Californian  coast,  where  he  afterwards 
had  trouble  with  the  authorities,  who  seemed  to  bear  a  grudge 
against  all  American  trappers,   and  who  seized  every  oppor- 


122  The  Colorado  River 

tunity  to  maltreat  and  rob  them.  This,  however,  did  not  pre- 
vent Smith  from  returnin<j  again  after  a  visit  to  the  northern 
rendezvous.  But  while  crossing  the  Colorado,  the  Mohaves, 
who  had  meanwhile  been  instigated  to  harass  Americans  by  the 
Spaniards  (so  it  is  said),  attacked  the  expedition,  killing  ten 
men  and  capturing  everything.  Smith  escaped  to  be  after- 
wards killed  on  the  Cimarron  by  the  Comanches. 

Pattie  and  his  father  again  entered  the  Gila  country  in  the 
autumn  of  1827,  with  permission  from  the  governor  of  New 
Mexico  to  trap.  After  they  had  gone  down  the  Gila  a  con- 
siderable distance  the  party  split  up,  each  band  going  in  dif- 
ferent directions,  and  after  numerous  adventures  the  Patties 
and  their  adherents  arrived  at  the  Colorado,  where  their  horses 
were  stampeded  by  the  tribe  living  at  the  mouth  of  the  Gila, 
the  "  Umeas. "  They  were  left  without  a  single  animal,  a  most 
serious  predicament  in  a  wild  country.  The  elder  Pattie  coun- 
selled pursuit  on  foot  to  recapture  the  horses  or  die  in  the  at- 
tempt. But  the  effort  was  fruitless.  They  then  made  their 
way  back  to  their  camp,  devoured  their  last  morsel  of  meat, 
placed  their  guns  on  a  raft,  and  swam  the  river  to  annihilate 
the  village  they  saw  on  the  opposite  bank.  The  Yumas,  how- 
ever, had  anticipated  this  move,  and  the  trappers  found  there 
only  one  poor  old  man,  whom  they  spared.  Setting  fire  to 
every  hut  in  the  village,  except  that  of  the  old  man,  they  had 
the  small  satisfaction  of  watching  them  burn.  There  was  now 
no  hope  either  of  regaining  the  horses  or  of  fighting  the  Yu- 
mas, so  they  devoted  their  attention  to  building  canoes  for 
the  purpose  of  escaping  by  descending  the  Colorado.  For 
this  they  possessed  tools,  trappers  often  having  occasion  to  use 
a  canoe  in  the  prosecution  of  their  work.  They  soon  had  fin- 
ished eight,  dugouts  undoubtedly,  though  Pattie  does  not  say 
so,  and  they  already  had  one  which  Pattie  had  made  on  the 
Gila.  Uniting  these  by  platforms  in  pairs  they  embarked  upon 
them  with  all  their  furs  and  traps,  leaving  their  saddles  hidden 
on  the  bank. 

On  the  9th  of  December  (1827) '  they  started,  probably  the 

'  The  reader  may  think  I  introduce  too  many  year-dates  but  I  have  found  most 
books  so  lacking  in  this  regard  that  I  prefer  to  err  on  the  other  side. 


Down  the  River 


123 


first  navigators  of  this  part  of  the  river  since  Alar^on,  287  years 
before.  That  night  they  set  forty  traps  and  were  rewarded 
with  thirty-six  beaver.  Such  good  luck  decided  them  to  travel 
slowly  with  the  current,  about  four  miles  an  hour,  "and  trap 
the  river  clear."  The  stream  was  about  two  hundred  to  three 
hundred  yards  wide,  with  bottoms  extending  back  from  six  to 


The  "  Navajo  Church,"  a  Freak  of  Erosion  near  Ft.  Wingate,  N.  M. 

The  Basin  of  the  Colorado   is   full    of    such  architectural  forms.     See 

Dellenbaugh  Butte,  p.  269,  Gunnison  Butte,  p.  271. 

"  Hole  in  the  Wall,"  p.  41.  etc. 

Photograph  by  Ben  Wittick. 


ten  miles,  giving  good  camp-grounds  all  along.  \\' ith  abund- 
ance of  fat  beaver  meat  and  so  many  pelts  added  to  their  store 
they  forgot  their  misfortunes  and  began  to  count  on  reaching 
the  Spanish  settlements  they  thought  existed  near  the  mouth 
of    the    river.       Sometimes    their    traps    yielded    as    many   as 


124  The  Colorado  River 

sixty  beaver  in  a  night,  and  finally  they  were  obliged  to  halt 
and  make  another  canoe.  So  they  went  slowly  down,  occa- 
sionally killing  a  couple  of  hostile  nativ^es,  or  deer,  panthers, 
foxes,  or  wild-cats.  One  animal  is  described  as  like  an  African 
leopard,  the  first  they  had  ever  seen.  At  length  they  came  to 
a  tribe  much  shorter  of  stature  than  the  Yumas,  and  friendly. 
These  were  probably  Cocopas.  Not  a  patch  of  clothing  existed 
in  the  whole  band,  and  Pattie's  men  gave  the  women  some  old 
shirts,  intimating,  as  well  as  they  could,  that  they  ought  to  wear 
some  covering.  These  people  were  well  formed,  and  many  of 
the  women  had  exceptionally  fine  figures  if  the  judgment  of 
the  trappers  can  be  trusted  in  this  respect.  When  a  gun  was 
fired  they  either  fell  prostrate  or  ran  away,  so  little  did  they 
know  about  firearms.  The  chief  had  a  feast  of  young  dog 
prepared  for  his  guests,  who  partook  of  it  with  reluctance.  All 
communication  was  by  signs,  and  when  the  chief  imitated  the 
beating  of  surf  and  drew  a  cow  and  a  sheep  in  the  sand,  point- 
ing west,  they  thought  they  were  at  last  nearing  the  longed-for 
Spanish  settlements,  and  went  on  their  way  joyfully.  Little 
did  they  imagine  that  the  settlements  the  chief  described  were 
far  off  on  the  Californian  coast. 

The  new  year,  1828,  came  in  and  still  they  were  going  down 
the  river,  taking  many  beaver.  As  a  New  Year's  greeting  a 
shower  of  arrows  from  a  new  tribe,  the  Pipis,  fell  amongst 
them.  The  trappers  killed  six  of  them  at  one  volley,  and  the 
rest  ran  away,  leaving  twenty-three  beautiful  longbows  behind. 
The  only  clothing  the  dead  men  had  on  w^as  snail-shells 
fastened  to  the  ends  of  their  long  locks  of  hair.  The  trappers 
now  began  to  seek  more  anxiously  for  the  mythical  settle- 
ments. "A  great  many  times  each  day,"  says  Pattie,  "we 
bring  our  crafts  to  the  shore  and  go  out  to  see  if  we  cannot 
discover  the  tracks  of  horses  and  cattle."  On  the  i8th  they 
thought  some  inundated  river  entering  was  the  cause  of  a  slack- 
ening of  the  current,  and  finally  they  began  to  rig  oars,  think- 
ing they  would  now  be  obliged  to  work  to  get  on  down-stream, 
but  presently,  to  their  surprise,  the  current  doubled  its  rate  and 
they  were  going  along  at  six  miles  an  hour.  None  of  them  had 
ever  had  any  experience  with  tides,  and  they  therefore  failed  to 


The  Tidal  Bore 


12 


fathom  the  real  cause  of  these  singular  changes  of  speed.  Sud- 
denly, as  they  were  descending,  people  of  the  same  tribe  they 
had  fired  on  stood  on  the  shore  and  shouted,  making  signs  for 
them  to  land,  that  their  boats  would  be  capsized,  but,  thinking 
it  a  scheme  for  robbery  and  murder,  they  kept  on,  though  they 
refrained  from  shooting.  Late  in  the  evening  they  landed, 
making  their  camp  on  a  low  point  where  the  canoes  with  their 
rich  cargoes  were  tied  to  some  trees.  Pattie's  father  took  the 
first  watch,  and  in  the  night,  hearing  a  roaring  noise  that  he 
thought  indicated  a  sudden  storm,  he  roused  his  companions, 


Cliffs  of  the  Rio  Virgen,  about  2500  Feet  High. 
Photograph  by  J.  K.  Hillers,  U.  S.  Geol.  Survey. 

and  all  was  prepared  for  a  heavy  rain,  when,  instead,  to  their 
great  consternation,  the  camp  was  inundated  by  "a  high  ridge 
of  water  over  which  came  the  sea  current  combing  down  like 
water  over  a  mill-dam."  The  canoes  were  almost  capsized, 
but  this  catastrophe  was  averted  by  rapid  and  good  manage- 
ment. Even  in  the  darkness,  in  the  face  of  a  danger  unex- 
pected and  unknown,  the  trappers  never  for  an  instant  lost 
their  coolness  and  quick  judgment,  which  was  so  often  their 
salvation.      Paddline  the  canoes  under  the  trees,  thev  clung  to 


126  The  Colorado  River 

the  branches,  but  when  the  tide  went  out  the  boats  were  all 
high  and  dry.  At  last  the  da\-  dawned  bright  and  fair,  enabl- 
ing them  to  see  what  had  happened,  and  when  the  tide  once 
more  returned,  they  got  the  canoes  out  of  the  trap. 

They  now  proceeded  with  the  ebb  tide,  stopping  with  the 
beginning  of  the  flood,  constantly  on  the  lookout  for  the 
Spanish  settlements,  and  not  till  the  28th,  when  they  saw  before 
them  such  a  commotion  of  waters  that  their  small  craft  would 
be  instantly  engulfed,  and  witle  sandy  stretches,  perfectly  bar- 
ren, all  round,  did  they  realise  what  a  mistake  they  had  made. 

"  The  fierce  billows,"  says  Pattie,  "shut  us  in  from  below, the  river 
current  from  above,  and  murderous  savages  on  either  hand  on  the 
shore.  We  had  a  rich  cargo  of  furs,  a  little  independence  for  each 
one  of  us  could  we  have  disposed  of  them  among  the  Spanish  people 
whom  we  expected  to  have  found  here.  There  were  no  such  set- 
tlements. Every  side  on  vv'hich  we  looked  offered  an  array  of 
danger,  famine,  or  death.     In  this  predicament  what  were  furs  to  us. ' ' 

In  order  to  escape  they  worked  their  way  back  up  the  river  as  far 
as  they  could  by  rowing,  poling,  and  towing,  but  on  February 
loth  they  met  a  great  rise  which  put  a  stop  to  progress.  They 
now  abandoned  the  canoes,  buried  the  furs  in  deep  pits,  and 
headed  for  the  coast  settlements  of  California.  After  many  vicis- 
situdes, which  I  am  unable  to  relate  here,  they  finally  arrived, 
completely  worn  out,  at  the  Spanish  mission  of  St.  Catherine. 
Now  they  believed  their  troubles  were  over,  and  that  after 
recuperating  they  could  go  back,  bring  in  their  furs,  dispose  of 
them  handsomely,  and  reap  the  reward  of  all  their  privation 
and  toil.  Not  so,  however.  Indeed,  the  worst  of  their  trials 
was  now  to  come.  Before  they  comprehended  the  intention  the 
Spanish  official  had  seized  their  rifles  and  the  men  were  locked 
up  with  only  the  commonest  fare  to  relieve  their  suffering. 
Cruelty  followed  cruelty,  but  they  believed  it  was  the  mistake 
of  the  minor  officers,  and  appealed  to  the  general  in  charge  at 
San  Diego,  expecting  an  order  from  him  for  release.  Instead 
of  this  they  were  marched  under  guard  to  San  Diego,  where 
each  was  confined  in  a  separate  room,  frustrating  their  plan  to 
recapture  their  arms  and  fight  their  way  out.      Pattie's  father 


Kit  Carson 


I  2' 


presently  became  ill,  and  no  amount  of  entreaty  was  sufficient 
to  gain  permission  for  the  son  to  see  him  even  for  a  moment. 
He  died  in  his  cell.  After  much  argument  and  the  intercession 
of  some  of  the  minor  of^cers,  Pattie  was  permitted  liberty  long 
enough  to  attend  the  funeral.  At  last  the  men  were  allowed 
to  go  back  for  the 
furs,  which  no  doubt 
the  wily  general  in- 
tended to  confiscate, 
Pattie  himself  being 
retained  as  a  hostage. 
But  the  furs  had  been 
ruined  by  a  rise  of 
the  river.  Smallpox 
then  began  to  rage 
on  the  coast,  and 
through  this  fact  Pat- 
tie finally  gained  his 
freedom.  Having 
with  him  a  quantity 
of  vaccine  virus,  he 
was  able  to  barter 
skill  in  vaccinating 
the  populace  for 
liberty,  though  it  was 
tardily  and  grudg- 
ingly granted.  He 
was  able,  at  length, 
to    get    away     from 

California,  and  returned,  broken  in  health  and  penniless,  by  way 
of  the  City  of  Mexico,  to  his  old  home  near  Cincinnati,  after  six 
years  of  extraordinary  travel  through  the  wildest  portions  of 
the  Rocky  Mountain  region  and  the  extreme  Southwest. 

In  the  year  1826,  an  afterwards  famous  personage  appeared 
in  the  valley  of  the  Colorado,  on  the  Gila  branch,  being  no  less 
than  Kit  Carson,'  one  of  the  greatest  scouts  and  trappers  of  all. 


The  "  Colob  "  Country,  Southern  Utah. 
Photograph  by  J.  K.  Hillers,  U.  S.  Culo.  Riv.  Exp. 


'  Life  of  Kit  Carson,  by  Charles  Burdett. 
biographers. 


There  are  several  Lives  by  other 


1 28  The  Colorado  River 

At  this  time  he  was  but  seventeen  years  old,  though  in  sagacity, 
knowledge,  and  skill  soon  the  equal  of  any  trapper  in  the  field. 
In  1827,  Ewing  Young,  another  noted  trapper,  having  been 
driven  away  from  the  Gila  b}-  the  natixes,  organised  a  company 
of  forty  men  to  go  back  and  punish  them,  which  meant  to  kill 
all  they  could  see,  innocent  or  guilty.  Carson  was  one  of  this 
party.  They  succeeded  in  killing  fifteen  of  the  offenders,  after 
which  slight  diversion  they  went  on  down  the  stream,  trapping 
it  as  they  went,  but  finally,  running  short  of  provisions,  they 
had  to  eat  horses.  Arriving  among  the  Mohaves,  they  ob- 
tained food  from  them,  and  proceeded  across  to  San  Gabriel 
Mission,  to  which  place  after  trapping  up  the  Sacramento  Val- 
ley, they  again  returned,  in  season  to  assist  the  Spaniards  to 
reduce  the  natives  around  the  settlement  to  submission.  This 
was  accomplished  by  the  simple  method  of  killing  one-third  of 
them. 

Limited  space  prohibits  my  recounting  the  exploits  of  even 
the  smaller  part  of  the  trappers  of  this  period,  but  with  what 
follows  I  believe  the  reader  will  possess  a  sufficient  picture  of 
the  life  of  the  Rocky  Mountain  Trapper  at  this  time.'  A  trail 
from  Santa  F^  to  California  was  opened  by  way  of  what  is  now 
Gunnison  Valley  on  Green  River,  and  thence  west  by  about  the 
same  route  that  Jedediah  Smith  followed,  that  is,  down  the  Vir- 
gen  River,  by  William  Wolfskill  who  went  out  by  this  route  to 
Los  Angeles,  in  1830.''  There  were  trappers  now  in  every  part 
of  the  wilderness,  excepting  always  the  canyons  of  the  Green 
and  Colorado,  which  were  given  a  wide  berth  as  their  forbid- 
ding character  became  better  known ;  and  as  time  went  on  the 
stories  of  those  who  had  here  and  there  looked  into  the  angry 
depths,  or  had  essayed  a  tilt  with  the  furious  rapids  at  one  or 
two  northern  points,  were  enlarged  upon,  and,  like  all  un- 
known things,  the  terrors  became  magnified. 

It  was  in  1832  that  Captain  Bonneville  entered  Green  River 
Valley,  but  as  his  exploits  belong  more  properly  to  the  valley 
of  the  Columbia,  I  shall  not  attempt  to  mention  any  of  them 

'  The  reader  is  referred  for  exact  details  to  the  admirable  work  by  H.   M. 
Chittenden,   The  American  Fur  Trade  of  the  Far  West. 
'  H.  II.  P.aiicroft  says  1831-2. 


In  the  Canyon  of  Lodore. 

Walls  about  2500  feet,  width  of  river  about  400  feet 


130  The  Colorado  River 

here,  referring  the  reader  to  the  delightful  account  by  Washing- 
ton Irving. 

In  May,  1839,  ^  traveller  who  was  a  careful  observer, 
Thomas  J.  Farnham,  went  from  New  Mexico  across  the  mount- 
ains to  Brown's  Hole  en  route  for  Oregon,  and  a  portion  of 
his  narrative'  is  of  deep  interest  in  this  connection,  because  his 
guide,  Kelly,  gave  him  some  account  of  the  Green  and  Col- 
orado, which  reflects  the  amount  of  real  knowledge  then  pos- 
sessed concerning  the  canyon-river. 

"  The  Grand  unites  with  the  Seedskeedee  or  Green  River  to  form 
the  Colorado  of  the  West.  From  the  junction  of  these  branches  the 
Colorado  has  a  general  course  from  the  north-east  to  the  south-west 
of  seven  hundred  miles  to  the  head  of  the  Gulf  of  California.  Four 
hundred  of  this  seven  hundred  miles  is  an  almost  unbroken  chasm 
of  kenyon,  with  perpendicular  sides  hundreds  of  feet  in  height,  at 
the  bottom  of  which  the  waters  rush  over  continuous  cascades.  This 
kenyon  terminates  thirty  [should  be  three  hundred]  miles  above  the 
gulf.  To  this  ])oint  the  river  is  navigable.  The  country  on  each 
side  of  its  whole  course  is  a  rolling  desert  of  loose  brown  earth,  on 
which  the  rains  and  the  dews  never  fall.  A  few  years  since,  two 
Catholic  missionaries  and  their  servants  on  their  way  from  the  mount- 
ains to  California,  attempted  to  descend  the  Colorado.  They  have 
never  been  seen  since  the  morning  they  commenced  their  fatal  un- 
dertaking. 

"A  party  of  trappers  and  others  made  a  strong  boat  and  manned 
it  well  with  the  determination  of  floating  down  the  river  to  take 
beaver  that  they  supposed  lived  along  its  banks.  But  they  found 
themselves  in  such  danger  after  entering  the  kenyon  that  with  might 
and  main  they  thrust  their  trembling  boat  ashore  and  succeeded  in 
leaping  upon  the  crags  and  lightening  it  before  it  was  swallowed  in 
the  dashing  torrent." 

They  had  a  difficult  time  in  getting  out  of  the  canyon,  but 
finally,  by  means  of  ropes  and  by  digging  steps  with  their  rifle 
barrels,  they  reached  the  open  country  and  made  their  way  back 

^  Travels  in  the  Great  Western  Prairies,  the  Atiahnac  and  Rocky  I^Ionntains, 
and  in  the  Oregon  Territory,  by  Thomas  J.  Farnham.  There  is  a  copy  in  the 
library  of  Columbia  University,  New  York. 


Frontier  Luxury 


131 


to  the  starting-point.  This  was,  possibly,  the  expedition  which 
was  wrecked  in  Lodore,  after  Ashley's  Red  Canyon  trip.  I 
have  not  succeeded  in  finding  any  other  account  that  would  fit 
that  place.  Arriving  at  Fort  Davy  Crockett,  in  Brown's  Park, 
he  describes  it  as 

"  a  hollow  square  of  one-storey  log  cabins,  with  roofs  and  floor  of 
mud.  Around  these  we  found  the  conical  skin  lodges  of  the  squaws 
of  the  white  trappers  who  were  away  on  their  fall  hunt,  and  also  the 
lodges  of  a  few  Snake  Indians  who  had  preceded  their  tribe  to  this 


Uinta  Utes,  Saiar's  Home. 
Photograph  by  J.  K.  Killers,  U.  S.  Geol.  Survey. 


their  winter  haunt.  Here  also  were  the  lodges  of  Mr.  Robinson,  a 
trader,  who  usually  stations  himself  here  to  traffic  with  the  Indians 
and  white  trappers.  His  skin  lodge  was  his  warehouse,  and  buffalo 
robes  spread  on  the  ground  his  counter,  on  which  he  displayed  his 
butcher  knives,  hatchets,  powder,  lead,  fish-hooks,  and  whiskey.  In 
exchange  for  these  articles  he  received  beaver  skins  from  trappers, 


132  The  Colorado  River 

money  from  travellers,  and  horses  from  the  Indians.  Thus,  as  one 
would  believe,  Mr.  Robinson  drives  a  very  snug  little  business. 
And,  indeed,  when  all  the  independent  trappers  are  driven  by  the 
appearance  of  winter  into  this  delightful  retreat,  and  the  whole  Snake 
village,  two  thousand  or  three  thousand  strong,  impelled  by  the 
same  necessity,  pitch  their  lodges  around  the  fort  and  the  dances 
and  merrymakings  of  a  long  winter  are  thoroughly  commenced, 
there  is  no  want  of  customers." 

With  this  happy  picture  of  frontier  luxury  in  the  trapper 
period  I  will  close  the  scene.  Unwittingly,  but  no  less  thor- 
oughly, the  trappers  had  accomplished  a  mission  :  they  had 
opened  the  gates  of  the  wilderness. 

Two-thirds  of  these  intrepid  spirits  had  left  their  bones 
on  the  field,  but  theirs  had  been  the  privilege  of  seeing  the 
priscan  glory  of  the  wilderness. 


ma 


CHAPTER   VI 


Fremont,  the  Pathfinder — Ownership  of  the  Colorado — The  Road  of  the  Gold 
Seekers — First  United  States  Military  Post,  1849 — Steam  Navigation — 
Captain  Johnson  Goes  to  the  Head  of  Black  Canyon. 

THE  great  Western  wilderness  was  now  no  longer  "un- 
known" to  white  men.  By  the  year  1840  the  American 
had  traversed  it  throughout,  excepting  the  canyons  of  the 
Colorado,  which  yet  remained,  at  least  below  the  mouth  of 
Grand  River,  almost  as  much  of  a  problem  as  before  the  fur 
trade  was  born.  Like  some  antediluvian  monster  the  wild 
torrent  stretched  a  foaming  barrier  miles  on  miles  from  the 
mountains  of  the  north  to  the  seas  of  the  south,  fortified  in  a 
rock-bound  lair,  roaring  defiance  at  conquistadore,  padre,  and 
trapper  alike. 

Till  now  the  trappers  and  fur  companies  had  been  the  chief 
travellers  through  this  strange,  weird  land,  but  as  the  fourth 
decade  of  the  century  fairly  opens,  a  new  kind  of  pioneer  ap- 
pears suddenly  on  the  field;  a  pioneer  with  motives  totally 
different  from  those  of  the  preceding  explorers.  Proselyting 
or  profit  had  been  heretofore  the  main  spurs  to  ambition,  but 
the  commanding  figure  which  we  now  observe  scanning,  from 
the  majestic  heights  of  the  Wind  River  range,  the  labyrinthian 
maze  of  unlocated,  unrecorded  mountains,  valleys,  rivers,  and 
canyons,  rolling  far  and  away  to  the  surf  of  the  Pacific,  is  im- 
bued with  a  broader  purpose.  His  mission  is  to  know.  The 
immediately  previous  elements  drifted  across  the  scene  like 
rifle-smoke  on  the  morning  breeze,  making  no  more  impression 

133 


^34 


The  Colorado  River 


on  the  world's  knowledge.  They  recorded  little,  and,  so  far  as 
information  was  concerned,  they  might  almost  as  well  never 
have  set  foot  in  the  wilderness.  But  the  new  man  records 
everything:    the  wind,    the   cold,    the   clouds,    the    trees,    the 


■•^-Ar 


Kaibab  Pai  Ute  Boys  Playing  a  Game  of  Wolf  and  Deer. 
Photograph    by    J.    K.    Hillers,  U.  S.  Colo.  Riv.  Exp. 

grass,  the  mice,  the  men,  the  worms,  the  birds,  etc.,  to  the  end 
of  his  time  and  his  ability.  He  is  the  real  explorer,  the  ad- 
vance guard  of  those  many  expeditions  which  followed  and 
whose  labours  form  the  fourth  division  of  our  subject.  Fre- 
mont is  the  name,  since  that  time  called  "Pathfinder,"  though, 


Fremont  Peak  135 

of  course,  the  paths  he  followed  had  often  before  been  travelled 
by  the  redoubtable  trapper,  whose  knowledge,  like  that  of  the 
native,  was  personal  only.  Indeed,  he  was  guided  in  his  jour- 
neys by  several  men  now  quite  as  famous  as  himself — Kit 
Carson,  Fitzpatrick,  Walker,  and  Godey.  But  the  field  was 
still  new  to  the  world  and  to  science.  Quite  appropriately, 
one  of  the  highest  peaks  from  which  the  Colorado  draws  its 
first  waters,  is  now  distinguished  by  the  name  of  the  earliest 
scientific  observer  to  enter  its  basin.  Fremont  came  up  the 
North  Platte  and  the  Sweetwater  branch,  crossing  (1842)  from 
that  stream  by  the  South  Pass  thirty-four  years  after  Andrew 
Henry  had  first  traversed  it,  over  to  the  headwaters  of  the 
Colorado.  The  ascent  to  South  Pass  is  very  gradual,  and  there 
is  no  gorge  or  defile.  The  total  width  is  about  twenty  miles. 
A  day  or  two  later  Fremont  climbed  out  of  the  valley  on  the 
flank  of  the  Wind  River  Mountains.  "We  had  reached  a  very 
elevated  point,"  he  says;  "and  in  the  valley  below  and  among 
the  hills  were  a  number  of  lakes  at  different  levels ;  some  two 
or  three  hundred  feet  above  others,  with  which  they  communi- 
cated by  foaming  torrents.  Even  to  our  great  height  the  roar 
of  the  cataracts  came  up,  and  we  could  see  them  leaping  down 
in  lines  of  snowy  foam."  Thus  are  the  rills  and  the  rivulets 
from  the  summits  collected  in  these  beautiful  alpine  lakes  to 
give  birth  to  the  Colorado  in  white  cascades,  typical,  at  the  ver}^ 
fountainhead,  of  the  turbulence  of  the  waters  which  have  rent 
for  themselves  a  trough  of  rock  to  the  gulf.'  Springing  from 
these  clear  pools  and  seething  falls,  shadowed  by  sombre  pines 
and  granite  crags,  its  course  is  run  through  plunging  rapids  to 
the  final  assault  on  the  sea,  where  wide  sand-barrens  and  desola- 
tion prevail.  Fremont  understood  this  from  his  guides  and 
says  :  "Lower  down,  from  Brown's  Hole  to  the  southward,  the 
river  runs  through  lofty  chasms,  walled  in  by  precipices  of  red 
rock."     The  descent 

"of  the  Colorado  is  but  little  known,  and  that  little  derived  from 
vague  report.  Three  hundred  miles  of  its  lower  part,  as  it  ap- 
'  These  mountains,  as  the  glacial  accumulations  began  to  permanently  dimin- 
ish, must  have  annually  sent  a  long-continued  huge  flood  of  water  down  the 
rivers  heading  there. 


I  ^6 


The  Colorado  River 


proaches  the  Gulf  of  California,  is  reported  to  be  smooth  and  tran- 
quil; but  its  upper  part  is  manifestly  broken  into  many  falls  and 
rapids.  From  many  descriptions  of  trappers  it  is  pr()l)al)le  tliat  in 
its  foaming  course  among  its    lofty    precijjices,    it    jjresents    many 


Canyon  of  Lodore,  Green  River,  Looking  up  the  Canyon. 

Walls  2000  to  2500  feet  high.     "  Wheatstack  "  in  distance. 
Photograph  by  E.  O.  Bea.mam,  U.  S.  Colo.  Riv.  Exp. 


scenes  of  wild  grandeur;  and  though  offering  many  temptations, 
and  often  discussed,  no  trappers  have  yet  been  found  bold  enough 
to  undertake  a  voyage  which  has  so  certain  a  prospect  of  fatal 
termination." 


Change  in  the  Fur  Trade 


^Z7 


He  was  mistaken  about  the  trappers,  not  having  ventured, 
for,  as  we  have  seen,  there  are  traces  of  at  least  three  parties  :  that 
of  Ashley,  that  of  the  missionaries  mentioned  by  Farnham, 
the  trappers  also  mentioned  by  him,  and  the  one  indicated 
by  the  wreckage  discovered  in  Lodore  by  Powell's  expeditions, 
though  the  latter  and  that  mentioned  by  Farnham  are  possibly 
the  same. 

The  fur  trade,  which  up  to  about    1835   was  principally  in 
beaver  skins,  had  now  somewhat  changed,  and  buffalo  robes 


Las  Vegas,  Southern  Nevada,  on  the  Old  Spanish  Trail. 
Oil  sketch  by  F.  S.  Dellenbaugh. 


were  the  chief  article  of  traffic.  But  the  buffalo  were  also  be- 
ginning to  diminish.  They  were  no  longer  found  on  the 
western  slope  of  the  mountains,  and  no  wonder,  as  the  fur  com- 
panies anmially  gathered  in  about  ninety  thousand  marketable 
skins  during  the  ten  years  ending  with  1842,  yet  it  was  only 
those  animals  killed  in  the  cold  months  whose  pelts  were  suit- 
able for  the  fur  business.  The  largest  number  of  buffalo  were 
killed  in  the  summer  months  for  other  purposes;  therefore  one 
is  not  surprised  that  they  were  soon  exterminated  in  the  Col- 
orado River  Valley,  where  they  never  were  as  numerous  as  on 


138  The  Colorado  River 

the  plains,  and  apparently  never  went  west  of  the  mouth  of 
White  River. 

Fremont  went  over  to  the  California  region,  returning 
through  Nevada  by  way  of  the  Spanish  Trail,  past  Las  Vegas 
(see  cut,  page  137),  and  up  the  Virgen,  which  he  called  the  most 
dreary  river  he  had  ever  seen,  till  he  reached  the  point  where 
Escalante  had  turned  east.  From  here  he  followed  Escalante's 
trail  back  to  Utah  Lake,  passing  through  Mountain  Meadows 
(1844),  afterward  the  scene  of  the  terrible  massacre  of  emi- 
grants by  a  body  of  Mormons  under  John  D.  Lee.'  His  route 
was  full  of  interesting  adventures,  but  it  is  not  possible  to  give 
details  here.  Passing  over  the  Wasatch  by  way  of  Spanish 
Fork,  he  again  entered  the  valley  of  the  Colorado  on  the  head- 
waters of  the  Uinta,  pausing  briefly  at  Roubidoux's  Fort  on 
Duchesne  Fork.  Soon  after  he  left,  the  fort  and  its  occupants 
were  annihilated  by  the  Utes.  Crossing  Ashley  Fork  he 
climbed  on  the  trail  high  up  the  mountain,  where  he  had  "a 
view  of  the  river  below  shut  up  amongst  rugged  mountains;" 
Whirlpool  Canyon  and  the  Canyon  of  Lodore.  Descending 
then  to  Brown's  Hole,  he  crossed  the  river  in  a  skin  boat,  and 
camped  just  above  Vermilion  Creek,  opposite  the  remains  of  an 
"old  fort,"  which  was  doubtless  Fort  Davy  Crockett.  "Here 
the  river  enters  between  lofty  precipices  of  red  rock"  (now  the 
Gate  of  Lodore),  "and  the  country  below  is  said  to  assume  a 
very  rugged  character;  the  river  and  its  affluents  passing 
through  canons  which  forbid  all  access  to  the  water."  After 
some  journeying  about,  along  the  headwaters  of  Grand  River, 
Fremont  returned  east,  and  later  came  out  (1845)  to  cross  the 
Green  again  about  in  the  same  latitude,  on  his  way  to  Cali- 
fornia. 

By  this  time  the  relations  between  the  United  States  and 
Mexico  were  at  the  point  of  rupture,  and  in  1846  Kearny's 
forces  moved  on  New  Mexico  and  California,  the  Mormon 
Battalion  marking  out  a  waggon-road  down  the  Gila.  Fremont, 
being  in  California,  took  an  active  part  (1846)  in  the  capture  of 

'  For  an  account  of  this  unfortunate  affair  see  The  Rocky  Mountain  Saints, 
chapter  xliii.,  by  T.  B.  H.  Stenhouse.  I  knew  Lee.  Personally  he  was  an  agree- 
able man,  and  to  me  he  disclaimed  responsibility  in  this  matter. 


Fort  Bridger 


139 


the  region,  but  the  story  of  that  episode  does  not  belong  here, 
and  may  be  found  in  any  history  of  California.  The  same 
year  in  which  the  formal  treaty  of  peace  was  signed  (1848)  an- 
other event  occurred  which  was  destined  to  have  a  vast  influ- 
ence on  the  whole  country  and  lead  streams  of  emigrants  to  the 
new  Dorado 
across  the  broad 
wastes  of  the  Colo- 
rado Valley ;  gold 
in  enormous  quan- 
titles  was  discov- 
ered on  Sutter's 
California  ranch. 
There  were  three 
chief  routes  from 
the  "States" 
across  the  wilder- 
ness of  the  Colo- 
rado River  basin : 
one  down  the  Gila 
to  the  Yuma  coun- 
try, another  by 
South  Pass  and  so 
on  around  Salt 
Lake  and  down 
the  Humboldt, 
and  the  third  also 
by  South  Pass  and 
Salt  Lake  and 
thence  south,  by 
Mountain  Mead- 
ows and  west  by 
the    Old    Spanish 

Trail.  On  the  northern  road  Jim  Bridger  had,  in  1843, 
established  a  trading  post  on  Ham's  Fork  of  Black's  Fork 
of  Green  River,  and  this  now  was  a  welcome  stopping-place 
for  many  of  the  emigrants,'  while  on  the  southern  trail  a 
'  Brigham  Young  and  his  followers  crossed  to  the  Salt  Lake  Valley  in  1S47. 


A  Canyon  in  the  Cliffs,  Southern  Nevada. 

Pencil  sketch  by  F.  S.  Dellenbaugh. 


I40  The  Colorado  River 

temporary  ferry  was  established  at  the  mouth  of  the  Gila 
by  Lieut.  Cave  J.  Coutts,  who  had  arrived  in  September, 
1849,  commanding  an  escort  for  some  boundary  surveyors 
under  Lieutenant  Whipple.  For  a  couple  of  months  he 
rendered  great  assistance  to  the  stream  of  weary  emigrants, 
who  had  reached  this  point  on  their  long  journey  to  the 
Golden  Country  of  their  dreams.  A  flatboat,  built  on  the 
shore  of  Lake  Michigan,  and  there  fitted  with  wheels  so  that 
it  could  be  used  as  a  waggon  on  land,  was  launched  on  the  Gila 
at  the  Pima  villages  and  came  safely  down  to  the  Colorado, 
bearing  its  owners.  Coutts  is  said  to  have  purchased  this  boat 
and  used  it  till  he  left,  which  was  not  long  after.  The  junction 
now  began  to  be  a  busy  place.  The  United  States  troops  came 
and  went,  occupying  the  site  of  Coutt's  Camp  Calhoun,  which 
Major  Heintzelman,  November,  1850,  called  Camp  Independ- 
ence. In  March,  185 1,  he  re-established  his  command  on  the 
spot  where  the  futile  Spanish  mission  of  Garces's  time  had 
stood,  and  this  was  named  Fort  Yuma.  It  was  abandoned 
again  in  the  autumn  of  the  year,  as  had  been  done  with  the 
camps  of  the  previous  seasons,  but  when  Heintzelman  returned 
in  the  spring  of  1852  he  made  it  a  permanent  military  post. 

Meanwhile  a  gang  of  freebooters,  who  left  Texas  in  1849, 
found  their  way  to  this  point  and  acquired  or  established  a 
ferry  two  or  three  miles  below  the  old  mission  site.  Their 
settlement  was  called  Fort  Defiance  in  contempt  for  the 
Yumas.  They  were  led  by  one  Doctor  Craig.  They  robbed 
the  Yumas  of  their  wives  and  dominated  the  region  as  they 
pleased.  Captain  Hobbs,'  a  mountaineer  who  was  at  Yuma  in 
1 85 1,  says: 

' '  The  attack  which  wiped  out  this  miserable  band  was  planned  by 
two  young  Mexicans,  who  had  attempted  to  cross  the  ferry  with 
their  wives,  and  had  them  taken  from  them  and  detained  by  the 
Texans.  The  Mexicans  went  down  the  river  and  the  desperadoes 
supposed  they  had  gone  their  way  and  left  their  wives  in  their  hands. 
But  they  only  went  far  enough  to  find  the  chief  of  the  tribe  who  had 
suffered  so  horribly  at  the  hands  of  this  gang,  and  arrange  for  an 
attack  on  their  common  enemy." 

'  Wild  Life  in  the  Far   West,  by  Captain  James  Hobbs. 


Craig's  Gang  Destroyed 


141 


Ey  this  plan  twenty-three  out  of  the  twenty-five  whites,  in- 
cluding the  master  scoundrel  himself,  Dr.  Craig,  were  destroyed 
with  little  loss  to  the  attacking  party.  Hobbs  calls  this  the 
best  thing  the  Yumas  ever  did.  It  took  place  only  a  month 
before  Hobbs  reached  the  ferry,  and  only  two  or  three  days 
before  one  of  the  periodical  returns  of  United  States  troops, 


Crossing  the  Lower  Coluiadu. 

Width  400  to  500  yards. 
Photograph  by  Delancy  Gill. 


this  time  a  company  of  dragoons  under  Captain  Hooper,  prob- 
ably belonging  to  Heintzehnan's  command.  To  him  the  two 
escaped  desperadoes  came  with  a  complaint  against  the  Yumas, 
but  the  captain  was  posted  and  he  put  the  men  in  irons  to  be 
transported  to  California  for  trial.  The  Yumas  now  established 
a  ferry  by  using  an  old  army-waggon  box  which  they  made 
water-tight,   as   the   Craig  Ferry  had  suffered  the  fate  of   its 


142  The  Colorado  River 

owners.  Hobbs  employed  the  Yumas  to  take  his  party  over, 
the  horses  swimming,  and  the  arrangement  seems  to  have 
worked  very  well. 

According  to  Hobbs,  the  first  steamboat  came  up  the  river 
while  he  was  there,  frightening  the  Yumas  so  that  they  ran  for 
their  lives,  exclaiming  the  devil  was  coming,  blowing  fire  and 
smoke  out  of  his  nose,  and  kicking  back  with  his  feet  in  the 
water.  It  was  the  stern-wheel  steamboat  Yuma,  and  this  is  the 
only  mention  of  it  I  can  find.  It  had  supplies  for  the  troops, 
but  what  became  of  it  afterward  I  do  not  know.  This  was 
evidently  before  the  coming  of  the  Uncle  Sam,  usually  credited 
with  being  the  first  steamboat  on  the  Colorado,  which  did  not 
arrive  till  a  year  after  the  reconnaissance  of  the  river  mouth  by 
Lieutenant  Derby  of  the  Topographical  Engineers,  for  the  War 
Department,  seeking  a  route  for  the  water  transportation  of 
supplies  to  Fort  Yuma,  now  ordered  to  be  a  permanent  military 
establishment.  He  came  up  the  river  a  considerable  distance, 
in  the  topsail  schooner  Invincible  and  made  a  further  advance 
in  his  small  boats.  The  only  guide  he  had  to  the  navigation  of 
the  river  was  Hardy's  book,  referred  to  in,  a  previous  chapter, 
w^hich  assisted  him  a  good  deal.  He  arrived  at  the  mouth  De- 
cember 23,  1850.  "The  land,"  he  says,  "was  plainly  dis- 
cernible on  both  coasts  of  the  gulf,  on  the  California  side  bold 
and  mountainous,  but  on  the  Mexican  low  and  sandy."  There 
could,  therefore,  never  have  been  any  doubt  in  the  minds  of 
any  of  those  who  had  previously  reached  this  point  as  to  the 
character  of  Lower  California.  The  Invincible  sailed  daily  up 
the  river  with  the  flood  tide,  anchoring  during  the  ebb,  and 
they  got  on  very  well  till  the  night  of  January  I,  185  I,  when 
the  vessel  grounded  at  the  ebb, 

"  swung  round  on  her  heel,  and,  thumping  violently,  was  carried  by 
the  tide  (dragging  her  anchor)  some  two  or  three  miles,  grounding 
finally  upon  the  shoal  of  Gull  Island.  At  flood  tide  sail  was  made 
on  her  as  soon  as  she  floated,  and  we  succeeded  in  getting  her  back 
into  the  channel.  As  the  vessel  grounded  at  every  ebb  tide  and  on 
the  return  of  the  water  was  violently  swung  around,  thumping  on 
her  bottom  and  swinging  on  her  anchor,  I  began  to  see  that  it  would 


Derby's  Survey  143 

be  neither  prudent,  or  in  fact  possible,  to  ascend  the  river  much 
higher^  and  we  accordingly  commenced  making  preparations  for  a 
boating  expedition."  ' 

The  ebb  tide  ran  at  the  rate  of  five  and  a  half  miles  an  hour, 
and  the  next  day  they  saw,  as  it  was  running  out,  the  "bore," 
or  tidal  wave,  booming  in  to  meet  and  overwhelm  it. 

"A  bank  of  water  some  four  feet  in  height,  extending  clear  across 
the  river,  was  seen  approaching  us  with  equal  velocity;  this  huge 
comber  wave  came  steadily  onward,  occasionally  breaking  as  it 
rushed  over  shoals  of  Gull  and  Pelican  islands;  passing  the  vessel, 
which  it  swung  around  on  its  course,  it  continued  up  the  river.  The 
phenomenon  was  of  daily  occurrence  until  about  the  time  of  neap 
tides." 

At  Howard's  Point  the  vessel  was  anchored  while  the  party 
continued  the  exploration  in  the  small  boat.  The  Cocopas 
whom  they  met  were  entirely  friendly.  These  people  wore  no 
clothing  beyond  the  breechcloth,  and  were  plastered  from  head 
to  foot  with  mud.  The  width  of  the  river  varied  from  two 
hundred  yards  to  half  a  mile.  At  one  place  they  passed  a 
Cocopa  village,  near  which  lay  an  old  scow  made  from  waggon- 
boxes  which  had  floated  down  from  the  ferry  at  Yuma.  On 
the  13th  they  met  Major  Heintzelman  coming  down-stream, 
and  as  he  had  taken  field  notes  Derby  considered  it  unneces- 
sary for  him  to  proceed,  and  they  went  back  in  company  to  the 
ship,  arriving  there  the  same  afternoon.  The  vessel  was  then 
worked  three  miles  farther  up,  where  her  cargo  was  discharged 
to  be  taken  by  teams  to  the  fort.  Heintzelman  was  accom- 
panied by  a  Dr.  Ogden  and  a  Mr.  Henchelwood,  "proprietors 
of  the  ferry."  The  Craig  gang  had  been  destroyed  earlier  this 
year,  and  these  men  had  probably  established  a  new  ferry. 
While  lying  at  this  berth,  the  vessel  was  roughly  tumbled 
about  by  the  tidal  wave,  till  she  broke  from  her  anchor  and 
drifted  rapidly  up-stream.  This  was  the  highest  and  most 
powerful  spring  tide,  and  the  situation  was  full  of  peril.     The 

'  Reconnaissance  of  the  Gulf  of  California  and  the   Colorado  River  made  in 
i8jo-^i,  by  Lieut.  G.  H.  Derby.    Ex.  Doc.  81,  32nd  Congress,  ist  Session,  Senate. 


144 


The  Colorado  River 


captain,  Wilcox,  calmly  took  the  helm  himself,  steered  toward 
the  bank  and  ordered  his  men  to  leap  to  the  ground  from  the 
jib-boom,  carrying  the  kedge  anchor.  By  this  means  the  mad 
rush  of  the  vessel  was  stopped,  and  by  the  use  of  logs  and 
cables  she  was  kept  a  safe  distance  from  the  bank.     When  the 


A  Cocopa  Dwelling,  near  '.     . 

Photograph  by  Dela.nc. 


;he  Colorado. 
Gill. 


stores  were  finally  landed  they  turned  gratefully  but  apprehen- 
sively toward  the  sea,  which  they  happily  reached  again  with- 
out serious  mishap, 

A  little  later  this  same  year  (185 1)  George  A.  Johnson  came 
to  the  mouth  of  the  river  on  the  schooner  Sierra  Nevada  with 
further  supplies  for  the  fort,  including  lumber  for  the  construc- 
tion of  flatboats  with  which  to  go  up  to  the  post.  Johnson 
afterwards  ran  steamers  on  the  river  for  a  number  of  years,  but 


The  Oatman  Massacre 


145 


he  was   not   the   first  to  attempt  steam-navigation  here,  that 
honour  resting  with  Turnbull  who  built  the  Uncle  Sam. 

Many  of  the  emigrants,  dreaming  of  ease  and  prosperity  as 
they  trudged  their  long  course  across  the  desolation  of  the 
South-west,  never  lived  to  touch  the  golden  sands  of  wonderful 
California,  but  expired  by  the  way,  often  at  the  hands  of  the 


On  the  Yuma  Desert. 

Photograph  by  Delancy  Gill. 

Apache  or  of  some  other  cutthroat  tribe.  One  of  the  saddest 
cases  was  that  of  Royse  Oatman,  who,  en  route  with  his  large 
family,  was  massacred  (185 1)  on  the  spot  now  known  as  Oat- 
man's  Flat,  not  far  below  the  great  bend  of  the  Gila.  His  son, 
left  for  dead,  revived  and  escaped.  Two  daughters  were  car- 
ried off  and  afterwards  sold  to  the  Mohaves,  among  whom  one 
died  and  the  other  was  restored  by  purchase  to  freedom  (^1856) 


146  The  Colorado  River 

by  Henry  Grinncll,  and  was  sent  to  her  brother's  home  in  Los 
Angeles.'    Another  characteristic  example  is  related  by  Hobbs 
In  the  desert  beyond  Yuma, 

"we  came  upon  the  remains  of  an  emigrant  train,  which  a  month 
previous  had  attempted  to  cross  this  desert  in  going  from  the  United 
States  to  California.  While  passing  over  the  desert  they  had  been 
met  by  a  sand-storm  and  lost  the  road  by  the  sand  blowing  over  it, 
and  had  wandered  off  into  the  hills.  They  had  finally  got  back  into 
the  road;  but  by  that  time  they  were  worn  out,  and  they  perished 
of  fatigue  and  thirst." 

They  had  passed  the  watering-place,  a  small  pool,  and  as  they 
had  already  been  two  or  three  days  without  water,  the  mistake 
was  fatal.  They  had  lightened  their  loads  by  casting  off  goods, 
but  it  was  useless.  A  squad  of  soldiers  was  sent  out  from  Fort 
Yuma  to  bury  the  bodies,  of  wdiich  eight  were  women  and 
children  and  nine  were  men.  The  desert  has  no  compassion 
on  the  human  intruder,  and  he  who  ventures  there  must  count 
only  on  his  own  resources. 

The  crossing  of  Green  River  was  also  difficult,  except  at  low 
water,  on  account  of  the  depth  and  force  of  the  current.  Some- 
times the  emigrants  utilised  a  waggon-box  as  a  boat,  and  the 
Mormons,  who  passed  in  1847,  established  a  ferry.  Later  others 
operated  ferries,  and  the  valley  vied  with  Yuma  in  the  matter  of 
human  activity.  Fort  Bridger  was  a  place  for  rest  and  repairs, 
for  there  was  a  primitive  blacksmith  forge  and  carpenter  shop. 
Here  lived  Bridger  with  his  dark-skinned  wife,  chosen  from  a 
native  tribe,  and  Vasquez,  also  a  famous  hunter.  The  fort  was 
simply  a  few  log  cabins  arranged  in  a  hollow  square  protected 
by  palisades,  through  which  was  a  gateway  closed  by  timber 
doors.  Simple  though  it  was,  its  value  to  the  emigrant  so  far 
away  from  any  settlement  can  hardly  be  appreciated  by  any 
who  have  never  journeyed  through  such  a  wilderness  as  still  ex- 
isted beyond  the  Missouri.  Could  we  pause  here  and  observe 
the  caravans  bound  toward  the  sunset,  we  could  hardly  find  any- 
where a  more  interesting  study.      There  were  the  Californian 

'  For  the  full  story  see  Capture  of  the  Oattnan  Girls,  by  R.  B.  Stratton. 


Boundary  Survey 


H7 


emigrant,  and  the  Mormon  with  his  wives  and  their  push-carts, 
there  were  the  trapper  and  the  trader,  and  there  were  the  bands 
of  natives  sometimes  friendly,  sometimes  hovering  about  a 
caravan  like  a  pack  of  hungry  wolves.  There  is  now  barely  an 
echo  of  this  hard  period,  and  that  echo  smothered  by  the  rush 


A  Uinta  Ute. 

Photograph  by  J.  K.  Hillers,  U.  S.  Geol.  Survey. 

of  the  express  train  as  it  dashes  in  an  hour  or  two  so  heedlessly 
across  the  stretches  that  occupied  the  forgotten  emigrant  days 
or  weeks.  In  the  search  for  a  route  for  the  railway  much  ex- 
ploration was  accomplished,  and  these  expeditions,  together 
with  those  in  connection  with  the  Mexican  boundary  survey, 
added  greatly  to  the  accumulating  knowledge  of  the  desolation 
enveloping  the  Colorado  and  its  branches. 


148  The  Colorado  River 

The  treaty  of  1848  made  the  Gila  the  southern  boundary', 
but  the  Gadsden  Purchase  placed  it  farther  south,  as  now 
marked.  A  number  of  expeditions  concerned  in  this  and  rail- 
way surveys  traversed  Arizona  in  the  early  fifties  under  Whip- 
ple, Sitgreaves,  Emory,  and  others,  and  the  country  began  to 
be  scientifically  known  outside  of  the  canyons  and  their  sur- 
roundings, John  R.  Bartlett  was  appointed  Boundary  Com- 
missioner, and  he  spent  considerable  time  along  the  Gila  and 
southwards  and  on  the  lower  Colorado  in  1852  to  1854.'  A 
few  weeks  before  he  arrived  at  Fort  Yuma  eight  of  the  soldiers 
there  had  a  battle  with  the  Yumas  and  the  eight  were  all  killed. 
After  this  Heintzelman  fought  them  with  so  much  vigour  that 
they  finally  came  in,  begging  for  peace.  Bartlett's  first  view  of 
the  Colorado  was  in  the  early  morning  at  a  point  twelve  miles 
below  the  fort.  "It  was  much  swollen,  and  rushed  by  with 
great  velocity,  washing  away  the  banks  and  carrying  with  it 
numberless  snags  and  trees."  Never  is  the  Colorado  tranquil. 
As  they  followed  up  the  stream  they  suddenly  found  the  road 
washed  away,  and  were  obliged  to  cut  a  new  path  through  the 
underbrush.  This  proved  a  long  task,  so  with  the  pack-mules 
he  pushed  on,  leaving  the  waggons  to  come  later,  Antoine 
Leroux  was  the  guide.  When  they  reached  the  place  he  had 
selected  for  a  camp  and  had  unpacked  the  mules,  it  was  found 
that  the  water  could  not  be  approached  because  of  the  abrupt- 
ness of  the  washed-out  bank,  so  they  were  compelled  to  saddle 
again  and  go  on  toward  the  fort,  though  they  had  been  riding 
since  one  o'clock  in  the  morning. 

They  were  finally  stopped  altogether  by  a  bayou  and  had  to 
wait  for  a  boat  from  the  fort  with  which  to  cross  it.  When 
they  came  finally  to  the  crossing  of  the  river  itself  to  the  Ari- 
zona side  they  had  a  slow  and  dif^cult  time  of  it.  Sometimes 
the  scow  they  used  failed  to  reach  the  landing-place  on  the 
other  side  and  the  strong  current  would  then  sweep  it  two  or 
three  miles  down  the  river  before  the  men  could  get  it  to  the 
shore.  The  next  operation  would  be  to  tow  it  back  to  some 
low  place,  where  the  animals  on  it  could  be  put  ashore.  This 
is  a  sample  of  the  difificulties  always  encountered  in  crossing 

'  Personal  Narrative  of  Exploration,  by  John  Russell  Bartlett. 


Crossing  at  Yuma 


149 


when  the  river  was  at  flood.  From  Yuma  looking  northward 
the  river  can  be  traced  for  about  fifteen  miles  before  it  is  lost  in 
the  mountains.  See  cut  on  page  26.  Bartlett  desired  to  ex- 
plore scientifically  down  to  the  mouth,  but  the  government 
failed  to  grant  him  the  privilege.  He  and  Major  Emory  were 
not  on  sfood  terms  and  there  was  a  creat  deal  of  friction  about 


"  Judy,"  a  Navajo. 
From  a  photograph  by  J.  K.  Hillers. 


all  the  boundary  work,  arising  chiefly  from  the  appointment  of 
a  civilian  commissioner.  Bartlett  mentions  Leroux's  "late 
journey  down  the  Colorado,"  on  which  occasion  he  met  with 
some  Cosninos,  but  just  where  he  started  from  is  not  stated, 
though  it  was  certainly  no  higher  up  than  the  mouth  of  the 
Grand  Wash. 


I50 


The  Colorado  River 


In  1852  the  steamer  U)iclc  Sam  was  brought  out  on  a 
schooner  from  San  Francisco  and  put  together  at  the  mouth 
of  the  river,  but  after  a  few  months  she  most  strangely  went 
to  the  bottom,  while  her  owner,  Turnbull,  was  on  the  way 
from  San  Francisco  with  new  machinery  for  her.  Turnbull 
came  in  the  schooiier  Goicral  Pattcrso)i,  which  was  bearing 
stores  for  the  fort.  When  the  Patterson  arrived  at  the  mouth 
of  the  Colorado,  she  was  able  to  sail  easily  up  the  river  for 
thirty-three  miles  because  Turnbull  was  met  by  some  of  his 
men  who  had  been  left  here  to  take  soundings,  and  for  the 


i 


i 

Uiie  ..1  il.i  I'aiks  on  the  Kaibab. 
Photograph  by  T.  Mitchell  Prudden. 

first  time  a  vessel  was  sailing  with  some  knowledge  of  the 
channel.  The  river,  however,  was  unusually  high,  which  was 
an  advantage.  The  wide  flatlands  on  both  sides  were  inun- 
dated to  a  distance  of  fifteen  miles.  The  current  ran  at  a 
seven-  or  eight-mile  rate  and  was  loaded  with  floating  snags  and 
tree-trunks  to  repel  the  invader.  In  proceeding  in  a  small  boat 
to  the  fort,  Turnbull.  in  a  distance  of  120  miles,  found  but  two 
dry  spots  on  the  bank  where  he  could  camp. 

A  new  steamer  was  soon  afloat  on  this  fickle  and  impetuous 
tide,  the  General  Jesiip,  owned  by  Captain  Johnson,  who  had 
now  had  three  or  four  years'  experience  in  this  navigation  and 


Whipple's  Crossing 


i^i 


had  been  awarded  the  contract  for  transporting  the  suppHes 
from  the  mouth  to  the  fort.  His  new  boat,  however,  exploded 
seven  months  later,  and  it  seemed  as  if  the  Fates  had  joined  with 
the  treacherous  river  to  prevent  successful  steam  navigation 
here.  But  Johnson  would  not  give  up.  Before  twelve  months 
had  passed  he  was  stemming  the  turbulent  flood  with  another 
steamer,  the  Colorado,  a  stern-wheeler,  120  feet  long.  As  if 
propitiated  by  the  compliment  of  having  its  name  bestowed  on 
this  craft,  the  river  treated  it  fairly  well,  and  it  seems  to  have 
survived  to  a  good  old  age.     Th.Q  Jesiip  was  soon  repaired. 

The  northern  part  of  Arizona  was  crossed  by  Captain  Sit- 
greaves,  in  185 1,  about  on  the  trail  of  Garces,  reaching  the 
Colorado  in  the  Mohave  Valley,  and  following  the  river  down 
to  Fort  Yuma.  In  1854,  another  government  expedition 
under  Lieutenant  Whipple,  with  Lieutenant  Ives  as  chief  assist- 
ant, explored  along  the  35th  parallel  for  a  railway  route,  and 
when  they  arrived  on  the  Colorado  at  the  mouth  of  Bill  Wil- 
liams Fork,  they  followed  up  the  river,  through  the  beautiful 
Mohave  Valley  to  a  point  some  eight  miles  above  the  present 
railway  (A,  &  P.)  bridge,  where  they  crossed.  Their  experi- 
ence was  interesting.  Lieutenant  Ives  directed  the  operations, 
using  for  a  ferry-boat  a  singular  combination :  an  old  rubber 
pontoon,  with  the  box  from  a  spring  waggon  attached  to  the 
top  of  it  for  a  receptacle  for  the  goods.  This  was  arranged  at 
night.  In  the  morning  the  pontoon  was  found  in  a  state  of 
collapse  and  the  waggon-box  filled  with  water,  but  the  concern 
was  resuscitated  by  the  skill  of  Ives,  and  soon  all  was  ready  for 
crossing.  Swimmers  carried  a  long  rope  to  an  island  midway, 
while  another  was  retained  on  the  shore.  By  means  of  these 
the  boat  was  pulled  back  and  forth.  The  first  trip  was  entirely 
successful,  but  on  the  second  attempt  the  affair  was,  by  the 
weight  of  the  ropes,  upset  in  midstream. 

"  During  the  excitement  attending  this  misfortune,  we  were  ad- 
vised by  an  Indian  messenger  that  another  great  chief  was  about  to 
pay  us  a  visit.  Turning  around,  we  beheld  quite  an  interesting 
spectacle.  Approaching  was  the  dignitary  referred  to,  lance  in 
hand,  and  apparelled  in  official  robes.      The  latter  consisted  of  a 


152  The  Colorado  River 

blanket  thrown  gracefully  ar(jund  him,  and  a  magnificent  head-dress 
of  black  plumage  covering  his  head  and  shoulders,  and  hanging 
down  his  back  in  a  streamer,  nearly  to  the  ground.  His  pace  was 
slow,  his  eyes  cast  downward,  and  his  whole  demeanour  expressive 
of  formal  solemnity.  Upon  his  right  hand  was  the  interpreter,  upon 
his  left  a  boy  acting  as  page,  and  following  was  a  long  procession  of 
his  warriors,  attended  by  a  crowd  of  men,  women,  and  children." 

Compliments  and  presents  were  exchanged  and  all  was  well. 
Meanwhile  the  men  who  had  been  capsized  with  the  boat  were 
struggling  to  disentangle  themselves  from  the  waggon-box,  and 
when  freed  they  gained  support  on  the  rope  till  the  entire  com- 
bination was  pulled  back  to  the  shore.  The  whole  party  were 
finally  on  the  island  and  then  used  the  same  tactics  in  crossing 
the  other  deeper  channel.  Here  they  upset  the  ferry  three 
times  and  two  persons  came  near  being  drowned.  The  Mo- 
haves,  who  are  good  swimmers,  rendered  prompt  and  efficient 
assistance  in  saving  the  floating  wreckage.  They  were  also 
supplied  with  their  kind  of  raft,  made  of  bundles  of  rushes  tied 
together  with  willow  twigs  (see  cut  on  page  30),  which  they 
handled  dexterously.  Such  rafts  were  and  are  in  use  all  the 
way  from  here  to  the  gulf.  By  night  the  expedition  was  safe 
on  the  western  bank,  the  mules  having  swum  over,  and  the 
flock  of  sheep  being  ferried  in  the  boat.  Several  sheep  were 
drowned,  and  these,  with  two  live  ones  and  a  couple  of  blan- 
kets, were  conferred  on  those  Mohaves  who  had  helped  in 
the  crossing.  The  landing-place  was  a  field  of  young  wheat, 
which  was  much  damaged.  The  lieutenant  willingly  paid  the 
moderate  charge  the  owner  made  for  this,  and  there  was  no 
trouble ;  all  the  intercourse  was  perfectly  amicable.  Rut  had 
he  been  imbued  with  the  trapper  spirit  he  would  probably  have 
answered  the  request  for  payment  with  a  fatal  bullet,  and  then 
would  have  followed  a  stampede  of  the  stock,  ambush,  and  all 
the  rest  which  embroiders  the  history  of  the  trappers  with  such 
violently  romantic  colour. 

Two  or  three  years  after  the  Whipple  expedition,  a  waggon- 
road  was  surveyed  (1857)  along  the  35th  parallel  by  E.  F. 
Beale.      He  returned  to  the  Colorado  January  23,  1858,  about 


154  The  Colorado   River 

twelve  miles  north  of  Whipple's  Crossing.  He  had  camped 
several  miles  back  from  the  Colorado,  and  starting  early  met 
his  clerk  F.  E.  Kerlin  returning  from  the  river  whither  he  had 
been  sent  to  prepare  the  boats.  The  clerk  had  a  "joyful  sur- 
prise "  in  news  that  the  steamboat  General  Jesup,  Captain 
George  A.  Johnson,  was  at  the  crossing  and  waiting  to  convey 
the  party  across.  Soon  after  the  arrival  of  Beale's  party  the 
steamboat  came  up  to  the  bank,  and  taking  on  the  men,  bag- 
gage, and  camels  landed  them  on  the  opposite  or  eastern  side.' 
The  mules  were  compelled  to  swim  over.  Then  the  General 
Jesiip  continued  down  stream  "  towards  Fort  Yuma,  350  miles 
below."  Johnson  had  with  him  Lieut.  James  White,  3d  U.  S. 
Artillery,  fifteen  soldiers  and  "  as  many  rugged  mountain  men  " 
as  escort.  He  had  succeeded  in  navigating  with  the  General 
Jesnp  as  far  up  the  river  as  El  Dorado  Canyon,  about  sixty-eight 
miles  below  the  mouth  of  the  Virgin — that  is,  he  had  gone  clear 
through  Black  Canyon  and  thus  holds  the  record  for  the  first 
ascent  of  the  Colorado  with  a  steamboat  to  the  limit  of  steam- 
boat navigation.  This  feat  he  executed  with  the  avowed  pur- 
pose of  "getting  ahead"  of  Lieutenant  Ives  who  had  arrived 
December  i,  1857,  at  Robinson's  Landing  at  the  mouth  of  the 
river,  bringing  an  iron  steamboat  (as  described  in  the  next 
chapter)  under  orders  from  the  War  Department  to  explore 
the  Colorado  as  far  as  possible. 

Johnson  had  been  aware  of  his  presence  and  intentions 
having  been  sent  down  from  Fort  Yuma  with  two  steamboats 
to  transport  certain  supplies  from  the  vessel  which  brought 
Lieutenant  Ives.  He  had  reached  the  schooner  December  17th. 
On  January  2,  1858,  he  left  Fort  Yuma  on  his  northward  run 
knowing  that  Ives  could  not  follow  him  until  the  steamboat 
brought  in  sections  could  be  completed. 

Ives  had  entirely  ignored  Johnson,  as  well  as  Johnson's 
skill  in  navigating  this  river,  and  also  his  powerful  steamboats. 
The  appropriation  under  which  Ives  was  working  was  one  which 
had  originally  been  made  for  Johnson,  after  a  visit  of  his  to 
Washington,  but  from  several  causes  it  had  been  switched 
over  to  the  War  Department.     Captain  Johnson,  therefore,  was 

'  Beale  used  camels  on  this  expedition  and  considered  tliem  a  success. 


Johnson's  Feat 


155 


determined  to  rob  Ives  of  the  glory  of  being  the  first  to  take 
a  steamboat  to  the  head  of  navigation,  and  he  did  it  with  a 
steamboat  much  larger  than  that  of  Ives  which  failed  to  pass 
Black  Canyon.  The  General  Jcsup,  named  after  the  quarter- 
master general  of  the  Army,  was  108  feet  long,  28  feet  beam, 
and  drew  2  feet,  6  inches  of  water.  She  had  exploded  in 
August,  1854,  but  had  been  thoroughly  repaired.  On  this  down 
trip  from  the  head  of  steamboat  navigation  she  met  with  an- 
other accident,  running  on  "  a  large  rolling  stone  and  sinking 
just  above  Chimney  Peak"  some  eighteen  miles  from  Yuma. 
She  was  raised  by  the  Colorado  and  towed  down  to  the  Fort.* 

1  See  Wagon  Road  from  Fort  Defiance  to  the  Colorado  River — Edward  F.  Beale, 
35th  Congress,  2d  Session,  House  of  Representatives,  Document,  124,  Washing- 
ton, 185S.  Also  Handbook  to  Arizona,  pp.  247-4S,  R,  J,  Hinton,  1878.  The 
information  as  to  Johnson's  application  for  an  appropriation  to  explore  the  Colorado 
was  given  me  by  Mr.  Robert  Brewster  Stanton.  Johnson  also  related  the  story  of 
his  "getting  ahead"  of  Ives,  to  Mr.  Stanton,  who  now  has  the  written  statement 
as  well.  I  communicated  with  Johnson  in  1904,  requesting  some  data,  but  he 
declined  to  give  it  on  the  ground  that  he  intended  himself  to  publish  the  story  of 
his  exploits.     Since  then  unfortunately  he  has  died. 


CHAPTER    VII 

Lieutenant  Ives  Explores  to  Fortification  Rock — By  Trail  to  Diamond  Creek, 
Havasupai  Canyon,  and  the  Moki  Towns — Macomb  Fails  in  an  Attempt  tc 
Reach  the  jMouth  of  Grand  River — James  White's  Masterful  Fabrication. 

STEAM  navigation  on  the  Colorado  was  now  successfully 
established,  and  when  Lieutenant  Ives  was  planning  the 
exploration  of  the  river  there  were  already  upon  it  two  power- 
ful steamers  exactly  adapted,  through  experience  of  previous 
disasters,  to  the  peculiar  dangers  of  these  waters,  while  John- 
son, the  chief  owner  and  pilot,  had  become  an  expert  in 
handling  a  steamboat  amid  the  unusual  conditions.  He  had 
succeeded  in  making  a  truce  with  the  dragon.  And  he  had 
secured  the  friendship  of  the  tribes  of  Amerinds  living  along 
the  banks ;  his  men  and  his  property  were  safe  anywhere ;  his 
steamers  often  carried  jolly  bands  of  Cocopas  or  of  Yumas 
from  place  to  place.  In  arranging  a  government  expedition 
to  explore  to  the  farthest  point  practicable  for  steamboats,  the 
sensible  course  would  have  been  to  advise  with  Johnson  and 
to  charter  his  staunch  steamer  Colorado,  together  with  himself, 
thus  gaining  at  the  very  outset  an  immense  double  advantage : 
a  boat  perfectly  modelled  for  the  demands  to  be  made  upon 
it,  and  a  guide  entirely  familiar  with  the  tricks  of  the  perfidious 
waters.  Especially  important  would  this  have  been  because 
Lieutenant  Ives,  who  was  instructed  to  direct  this  work,  was 
ordered  to  accomplish  it  at  the  lowest  and  worst  stage  of  the 

156 


Part   of   Map  No.    i,   by  Lieut.   J.    C.   Ives,  1858. 

From  the  Gulf  to  the  mouth  of  the  Gila. 
Scale  of  this  reduction  is  about  12  miles  to  i  inch. 


158  The  Colorado  River 

stream.  Ives  had  been  Whipple's  chief  assistant  in  1853-54, 
and  therefore  well  understood  the  situation.  But  he  states 
that  the  company  was  "unable  to  spare  a  boat  except  for  a 
compensation  beyond  the  limits  of  the  appropriation."  As  a 
boat  was  spared,  however,  for  the  less  important  matter  of 
going  far  up  the  river  to  ferry  Beale  across,  it  would  appear 
that  cither  the  negotiations  were  not  conducted  in  a  proper 
spirit,  or  that  Ives  rather  preferred  a  boat  of  his  own.  The 
cost  of  building  in  Philadelphia  the  boat  he  used,  and  sending 
her  in  sections  to  San  Francisco,  and  thence  to  the  Colorado, 
must  have  been  very  great.  The  steamer  was  ordered  June  i, 
1857,  and  had  to  be  at  the  mouth  of  the  Colorado  by  Decem- 
ber 1st  of  the  same  year.  After  a  trial  on  the  Delaware,  a 
mill-pond  compared  with  the  Colorado,  she  was  hastily  shipped, 
with  all  her  defects,  by  way  of  Panama,  there  being  no  time  to 
make  any  changes.  The  chief  trouble  discovered  was  radical, 
being  a  structural  weakness  of  the  hull.  To,  in  a  measure,  off- 
set this,  timbers  and  bolts  were  obtained  in  San  Francisco,  the 
timbers  to  be  attached  to  the  outside  of  the  hull  on  putting  the 
sections  together,  there  being  no  room  within.  It  requires 
little  understanding  of  naval  architecture  to  perceive  that  a 
great  handicap  was  thus  imposed  on  the  little  vessel.  Yet 
Lieutenant  Ives  says,  on  the  trial  trip  she  was  "found  satis- 
factory "  !  By  November  ist,  the  party  was  on  board  the 
schooner  Monterey,  bound  for  the  head  of  the  Gulf.  Though 
the  vessel  was  loaded  down  with  supplies  for  Fort  Yuma,  room 
was  made  for  the  Ives  expedition  and  they  arrived,  passing 
through  a  heavy  gale  in  the  gulf,  at  Robinson's  Landing  on 
November  30th.  The  schooner  was  anchored  over  a  shoal, 
and  was  soon  aground,  as  the  fierce  tide  ran  out,  a  circumstance 
that  enabled  her  to  stay  there  and  stem  the  torrent.  A  deep' 
booming  sound  was  presently  heard,  growing  louder  and  nearer, 
and 

"  in  half  an  hour  a  great  wave  several  feet  in  height,  could  be  dis- 
tinctly seen  flashing  and  sparkling  in  the  moonlight,  extending  from 
one  ])ank  to  the  other  and  advancing  swiftly  upon  us.  While  it  was 
only  a  few  hundred  yards  distant,  the  ebb  tide  continued  to  flow  by 
at  the  rate  of  three  miles  an  hour.     A  point  of  land  and  an  exposed. 


The  Tidal  Bore 


159 


bar  close  under  our  lee  broke  the  wave  into  several  long  swells,  and 
as  these  met  the  ebb  the  broad  sheet  around  us  boiled  up  and  foamed 
like  the  surface  of  a  cauldron,  and  then,  with  scarcely  a  moment  of 
slack  water,  the  whole  went  whirling  by  in  the  opposite  direction. 
In  a  few  moments  the  low  rollers  had  passed  the  islands  and  united 
again  in  a  single  bank  of  water,  which  swept  up  the  narrowing 
channel  with  the  thunder  of  a  cataract." 

This  was  the  great  tidal  bore  once  more,  which,  at  the  occur- 
rence of  the  spring  tides,  makes  the  entrance  of  the  river  ex- 


•^ia£«Ssir,.-,^jfc..^^ 


Robinson's  Landing. 

Mouth  of  the  Colorado  River.     Starting-point  of  Lieut.  Ives's  Exploration. 
Photograph  by  Lieut.  Ives.     Redrawn  by  J.  J.  Young. 


tremely  dangerous.  It  is  due  to  the  narrowing  of  the  Gulf  of 
California  forcing  the  tides  into  close  quarters,  and  its  vio- 
lence is  augmented  by  collision  with  the  equally  furious  current 
of  the  Colorado.  The  battle  between  this  tidal  wave  and  the 
Colorado  continues  for  many  miles,  till  at  last  the  sea  tide 
gradually  loses  its  power  and  succumbs  to  the  flood  of  the 
river.'     The  latter  falls  at  the  mouth,  according  to  Ives,  about 

'  The  tide  ascends  thirty-seven  miles.     Lowest  stage  of  water  about  three  feet, 
average  six  feet,  and  highest  about  twenty  feet. 


i6o  The  Colorado  River 

thirty  feet  in  a  few  hours  after  the  ebb  begins.  The  shallower 
the  water  as  the  tide  rushes  in  against  the  ebb,  the  angrier  the 
wave  becomes,  sometimes  reaching  a  height  of  ten  or  twelve 
feet. 

At  Robinson's  Landing,  a  mere  mud  flat,  a  camp  was 
established  and  preparations  made  for  the  voyage  to  the  ex- 
treme limit  of  navigation.  The  parts  of  the  steamer  were  put 
ashore  and  a  suitable  spot  selected  whereon  to  set  her  up. 
The  high  tides  were  over  for  a  month,  and  the  mud  began  to 
dry,  enabling  the  party  to  pitch  their  tents.  It  was  an  un- 
comfortable spot  for  expedition  headquarters,  but  the  best 
that  could  be  had,  as  the  Monterey  was  not  permitted  by  her 
owners  to  venture  farther  up  the  river.  But  this  delay,  dis- 
comfort, and  difficulty,  to  say  nothing  of  expense,  might  have 
been  avoided  could  a  contract  have  been  made  with  the  exist- 
ing steamboat  company.  As  the  bank  on  which  the  boat  was 
to  be  reconstructed  was  not  likely  to  be  overflowed  more  than 
a  foot  by  the  next  high  tide,  a  month  later,  an  excavation  was 
made  wherein  to  build  the  steamer  that  she  might  certainly 
come  afloat  at  the  desired  time.  Sixty  holes  had  to  be  made 
in  the  iron  plates  so  that  the  four  stiffening  timbers  could  be 
attached  to  the  bottom  to  prevent  the  craft  from  breaking  in 
two  under  the  extra-heavy  boiler.  Inside,  cross  timbers  were 
also  added  to  resist  the  strain.  On  December  i/th,  two 
steamers  appeared  from  the  fort,  in  command,  respectively,  of 
Johnson  and  Wilcox,  to  transport  the  army  supplies  to  their 
destination.  Robinson,  after  whom  the  landing  was  called 
because  he  had  a  cabin  there,  was  with  the  steamboats,  and,  as 
he  knew  the  river,  especially  as  far  as  Yuma,  Ives  engaged  him 
for  pilot. 

By  the  end  of  the  month,  the  Explorer,  as  the  Ives  boat  was 
named,  was  ready  for  the  expected  high  tide.  She  was  fifty- 
four  feet  long  over  all,  not  quite  half  the  length  of  Johnson's 
Colorado.  Amidships  she  was  open,  but  the  bow  was  decked, 
and  at  the  stern  was  a  cabin,  seven  by  eight  feet,  the  top  of 
which  formed  an  outlook.  For  armament,  she  was  supplied 
on  the  bow  with  a  four-pound  howitzer,  though  this  weapon 
was  not  likely  to  be  of  much  service.     When  the  anticipated 


The  **  Explorer"  Afloat 


i6i 


flood  arrived  on  the  night  of  December  30th,  steam  was  turned 
on  at  the  critical  moment,  the  engines  worked  the  stern-wheel, 
and  Lieutenant  Ives  had  the  satisfaction  of  seeing  the  Ex- 
plorer, under  the  bright  moonlight,  slowly  back  out  of  the  pit 
which  had  been  her  cradle  into  the  swirling,  seething  current. 
As  the  tide  continued  to  rise,  Ives  feared  the  whole  flat  would 
soon  be  inundated,  so  everything  belonging  to  the  expedition 
was  stowed  on  board  till  the  Explorer  s  gunwales  were  no  more 
than  six  inches  above  the  surface.      Through  this  circumstance. 


The  Steamer  "  Explorer  "  in  which  Lieut.  Ives  in  1858  Ascended  the  Colorado  to  Foot  of 

Black  Canyon. 

Sketch  by  H.  B.  Mollhausex. 


the  expedition  came  near  a  disastrous  end  the  next  night, 
when  the  steamer  proceeded  up  the  river  on  the  flood  tide. 
A  squall  was  met  and  the  boat  shipped  water  alarmingly,  but 
fortunately  the  wind  died  away  as  quickly  as  it  had  come  up. 
The  Explorer  was  saved,  and  the  journey  was  continued  o\er 
the  swiftly  gliding  torrent. 

As  they  went  on  after  this  in  daylight,  some  Cocopas  thc\- 
met  grinned  rather  contemptuously,  and  called  this  the  "chi- 
quito  steamboat."     A  considerable  amount  of  stores  was  left 


1 62  The  Colorado  River 

on  the  bank  in  their  care,  to  be  picked  up  by  Captain  Wilcox, 
who,  going  clown  on  one  of  the  fort  steamers,  had  passed  the 
Explorer,  and  offered  to  take  these  extra  stores  to  the  fort  on 
his  return.  They  were  placed  with  the  Cocopas  by  his  direc- 
tion, an  arrangement  that  better  describes  the  relations  of  the 
steamboat  people  and  the  natives  than  anything  that  could  be 
said  about  them.  The  fuel  used  was  wood,  of  which  there 
was  great  abundance  along  the  shore,  the  hard,  fine-grained 
mesquite  making  a  particularly  hot  fire.  The  routine  of  ad- 
vance was  to  place  a  man  with  a  sounding-pole  at  the  bow, 
while  Robinson,  the  pilot,  had  his  post  on  the  deck  of  the 
cabin,  but  the  sounding  was  more  for  record  purposes  than  to 
assist  Robinson,  who  was  usually  able  to  predict  exactly  w^hen 
the  water  would  shoal  or  deepen.  Later,  Ives  says:  "If  the 
ascent  of  the  river  is  accomplished,  it  will  be  due  to  his  skill 
and  good  management."  Besides  the  ordinary  shifting  of  the 
sands  by  the  restless  current,  there  was  another  factor  occa- 
sionally to  guard  against.  This  was  earthquakes.  Sometimes 
they  might  change  the  depth  of  water  on  the  lower  river  in  the 
twinkling  of  an  eye.  On  one  occasion,  a  schooner  lying  in  a 
deep  part  was  found  suddenly  aground  in  three  feet  of  water, 
with  no  other  warning  than  a  rumble  and  a  shock.  Heintzel- 
man,  in  one  of  his  reconnoissances,  discovered  the  adjacent 
land  full  of  cracks,  through  which  oozed  streams  of  sulphurous 
water,  mud,  and  sand,  and  Diaz,  in  1540,  came  to  banks  of 
"hot  ashes"  which  it  was  impossible  to  cross,  the  whole 
ground  trembling  beneath  his  feet.  At  low  water,  even  in  the 
lower  reaches  of  the  river,  a  boat  is  liable  to  run  aground  often, 
and  has  to  be  backed  off  to  try  her  fortune  in  another  place. 
The  bottom,  however,  is  soft,  the  current  strong,  so  no  harm 
is  done  and  the  rush  of  water  helps  to  cut  the  boat  loose.  One 
does  not  easily  comprehend  how  sensitive  a  pilot  becomes  to 
every  tremor  of  the  hull  in  this  sort  of  navigation.  The 
quality  of  the  boat's  vibration  speaks  to  his  nerves  in  a  distinct 
language,  and  the  suck  of  the  wheel  emphasises  the  communi- 
cation. 

The  Explorer  at  length   arrived  at  Yuma.      Here  the  re- 
mainder of  the  party,  including  Dr.  Newberry,  having  come 


Looking  down  the  Grand  Canyon  from  the  Mouth  of  the  Kanah. 

Depth  about  4000  feet. 
Oil  sketch  on  the  sijot  by  F.  S.  Di~llenbaugh,  1875 

'63 


1 64  The  Colorado  River 

across  country,  joined  the  expedition,  and  further  preparations 
were  made  for  the  more  difficult  task  above.  The  craft  was 
lightened  as  far  as  possible,  but  at  the  best  she  still  drew  two 
and  one-half  feet,  while  the  timbers  bolted  to  the  bottom  were 
a  great  detriment,  catching  on  snags  and  ploughing  into  the 
mud  of  the  shoals.  There  were  twenty-four  men  to  be  car- 
ried, besides  all  the  baggage  that  must  be  taken,  even  though 
a  pack-train  was  to  leave,  after  the  departure  of  the  boat,  to 
transport  extra  supplies  to  the  end  of  the  voyage,  wherever 
that  might  be.  It  is  not  easy  to  understand  why  so  large  a 
party  was  necessary.  Some  few  miles  above  Yuma  they  came 
to  the  first  range  of  mountains  that  closes  in  on  the  water, 
suddenly  entering  a  narrow  pass  several  hundred  feet  deep. 
Seven  miles  farther  on,  they  went  through  a  small  canyon 
where  another  range  is  severed.  This  was  called  Purple  Hill 
Pass,  while  the  first  one  was  named  Explorer's  Pass,  after  the 
steamer.  The  first  approach  to  a  real  canyon  was  encountered 
a  short  distance  above.  Emerging  from  this,  called  Cane- 
brake,  from  some  canes  growing  along  the  sides,  the  Explorer 
ran  aground,  resting  there  for  two  hours.  They  had  now 
passed  through  the  Chocolate  Mountains,  the  same  range  that 
Alarcon  mentions,  and  as  he  records  no  other  he  probably  went 
no  farther  up  than  the  basin  Ives  is  now  entering,  the  Great 
Colorado  Valley.  Alarcon  doubtless  proceeded  to  the  upper 
part  of  this  valley,  about  to  latitude  thirty-four,  where  he 
raised  the  cross  to  mark  the  spot.  Two  miles  above  the  head 
of  the  canyon,  the  power  of  the  Explorer  was  matched  against 
a  stiff  current  that  came  swirling  around  the  base  of  a  perpen- 
dicular rock  one  hundred  feet  high.  With  the  steam  pressure 
then  on,  she  was  not  equal  to  the  encounter  and  made  no  ad- 
vance, whereupon  she  was  headed  for  a  steep  bank  to  allow 
the  men  to  leap  ashore  with  a  line  and  tow  her  beyond  the  op- 
position. Above,  the  current  was  milder,  but  the  river  spread 
out  to  such  an  extent  that  progress  was  exceedingly  difificult, 
and  Ives  expresses  a  fear  that  this  might  prove  the  head  of 
navigation,  yet  he  must  then  have  been  aware  (and  certainly 
was  when  he  published  his  report)  that  Johnson  at  that  very 
moment  was  far  bevond  this  with  a  steamer  larcrer  than  the 


Mohave  Canyon  165 

one  he  was  on.     It  was  now  January   17,  1858,  and  it  was  on 
January  23d,  that  Johnson  was  at  the  point  where   Beale   in- 
tended to  cross.     The  steamer  was  used  as  a  ferry  and  then 
left  the  same  day  for  Yuma.     Captain  Johnson  with  his  steam- 
boat had  been  to  the  head  of  navigation.     Ives  and  Johnson 
must  now  pass  each  other  before  the   end  of  this  month  of 
December,  and  the  meeting  of  the  two  steamers  took  place 
somewhere  in  this  Colorado  Valley,  for,  under  date  of  January 
31st,  Ives  says:  "Lieutenant  Tipton  took  advantage  of  an  op- 
portunity  afforded  a  few  days  ago,  by  our  meeting  Captain 
Johnson,  with  Lieutenant  White  and  party  returning  to  the 
fort,  and  went  back  with  them  in  order  to  bring  up  the  pack- 
train."      He  does  not   mention,    however,    that    Johnson  was 
piloting  a  steamboat  larger  than  the  Explorer.      Indeed,  I  have 
been  told  that  he  failed  to  reply  to  Johnson's  salute.      Slowly 
they  worked  their  way  up,  and  on  up,  toward  their  final  goal, 
though  the  water  was   exceptionally   low.     At   last   reaching 
Bill  Williams  Fork,  Ives,  who  had  seen  it  at  the  time  he  was 
with  Whipple  about  four  years  earlier,  could  not  at  first  find 
it,  though,  on  the  former  occasion,  in  the  same  season,  it   had 
been  a  stream  thirty  feet  wide.      It  was  now  a  feeble  rivulet, 
the  old  mouth  being  filled   up  and  overgrown  with  willows. 
Approaching  Mohave  Canyon,  a  rapid  was  encountered,  neces- 
sitating the  carrying  forward  of  an  anchor,  from  which  a  line 
was  brought  to  the  bow,  and  this  being  kept  taut,  with  the 
boat  under  full  steam  the  obstruction  was  surmounted  without 
damage.       This   was   the    common    method    of    procedure    at 
rapids.     This  canyon,  Ives,  says  was  a  "scene  of  such  impos- 
ing grandeur  as  he  had  never  before  witnessed,"  yet  it  is  only 
a    harbinger    of    the    greater    sublimity    extending  along  the 
water  above  for  a  thousand  miles.      Mohave  Canyon  and  The 
Needles    soon    were    left    behind,    and    they    were    steaming 
through  the  beautiful  Mohave  Valley,  where  the  patient  foot- 
steps of  the  padres  and  the  restless  tramp  of  the  trappers  had 
so  long  ago  passed  and  been  forgotten.      Probably  not  one  of 
that  party  remembered  that  Pattie  on  horseback  had  covered 
this  same  field  over  thirty  years  before,  or  that  rare  old  Garces 
guided  his  tired  mule  along  these  very  banks  a  full  half  century 


i66 


The  Colorado  River 


ahead  of  Pattie.  To-day,  the  comfortable  traveller  on  the  rail- 
way, crossing  the  river  near  The  Needles,  has  also  forgotten 
these  things  and  Lieutenant  Ives  as  well. 

Many  Cocopas,  Yumas,  Mohaves,  and  Chemehuevis  were 
met  with  since  the  trip  began,  but  there  had  been  no  trouble 
with  any  of  them.  Ives  now  began  to  inquire  for  a  former 
guide  of  Whipple's,  whom  he  pleasantly  remembered  and 
whose  name  was  Ireteba.  Fortunately,  he  soon  came  across 
him  and  engaged  his  services.      Ireteba  was   a   Mohave,   but 


Black  Canyon  —  Looking  Down. 

Photograph  by  Wheeler  Exp. 


possessed  one  of  those  fine  natures  found  in  every  clime  and 
colour.  He  was  always  true  and  intelligent,  and  of  great 
service  to  the  expedition.  The  Explorer  pushed  on,  en- 
countering many  difficulties,  some  due  to  the  unfortunate 
timbers  on  the  bottom,  which  often  became  wedged  in  rocks, 
besides  increasing  the  draught  by  about  six  inches,  a  serious 
matter  at  this  extremely  low  stage  of  water.  "It  is  probable," 
says  Ives,  "that  there  is  not  one  season  in  ten  when  even  the 
Explorer  \\ov\\di  encounter  one  fourth  of  the  difficulty  that  she 
has  during  the  unprecedentedly  low  stage  of  water."  At  one 
rapid,  after  the  boat  by  hard  labour  had  been  brought  to  the 


A  Collision  167 

crest,  the  line  broke  and  she  at  once  fell  back,  bumping  over 
the  rocks  and  finally  lodging  amidst  a  mass  so  firmly  that  it 
required  half  the  next  day  to  pull  her  out.  The  second  at- 
tempt to  surmount  the  rapid  was  successful,  and  they  were 
then  rewarded  by  a  fierce  gale  from  the  north,  detaining  them 
twenty-four  hours,  filling  everything  with  sand,  and  dragging 
the  steamboat  from  her  moorings  to  cast  her  again  upon  the 
rocks.  When,  at  last,  they  could  go  on  they  came  after  a 
short  time  to  a  canyon  deeper  and  grander  than  any  they  had 
yet  seen,  called  Black  Canyon,  because  it  is  cut  through  the 
Black  Mountains.  Ives  was  uncertain,  at  the  moment,  whether 
this  was  the  entrance  to  what  was  called  Big  Canyon  (Grand 
Canyon)  or  not.  The  Explorer  by  this  time  had  passed 
through  a  number  of  rapids  and  the  crew  were  growing  expert 
at  this  sort  of  work,  so  that  another  rapid  a  hundred  yards 
below  the  mouth  of  the  canyon  was  easily  conquered.  The 
■current  becoming  slack,  the  steamer  went  gaily  on  toward  the 
narrow  gateway,  where,  "flanked  by  walls  many  hundreds  of 
feet  in  height,  rising  perpendicularly  out  of  the  water,  the 
Colorado  emerged  from  the  bowels  of  the  range."  Suddenly 
the  boat  stopped  with  a  crash.  The  bow  had  squarely  met  a 
sunken  rock.  The  men  forward  were  knocked  completely 
overboard,  those  on  the  after-deck  were  thrown  below,  the 
boiler  was  jammed  out  of  place,  the  steampipe  was  doubled 
up,  the  wheelhouse  torn  away,  and  numerous  minor  damages 
were  sustained.  The  Explorer  had  discovered  her  head  of 
navigation !  They  thought  she  was  about  to  sink,  but  luckily 
she  had  struck  in  such  a  way  that  no  hole  was  made  and  they 
were  able  by  means  of  lines  and  the  skiff  to  tow  her  to  a  sand- 
bank for  repairs.  Here  the  engineer,  Carroll,  and  Captain 
Robinson  devoted  themselves  to  making  her  again  serviceable, 
while,  with  the  skiff,  Ives  and  two  companions  continued  on 
up  the  deep  gorge.  Though  this  was  the  end  of  the  upward 
journey,  so  far  as  the  Explorer  was  concerned,  Johnson  with 
his  steamboat  had  managed  to  go  clear  through  this  canyon. 

Rations  were  at  a  low  stage,  consisting  entirely,  for  the  past 
three  weeks,  of  corn  and  beans,  purchased  from  the  natives, 
but  even  on  this  diet  without  salt  the  skiff  party  worked  its 


1 68 


The  Colorado  River 


way  steadily  upward  o\'er  many  rapids  through  the  superb 
chasm.  "Xo  description,"  says  Ives,  "can  convey  an  idea  of 
the  varied  and  majestic  grandeur  of  this  peerless  waterway. 
\\'here\er  the  river  makes  a  turn,  the  entire  panorama  changes, 
and  one  startling  novelty  after  another  appears  and  disappears 
with  bewildering  rapidity."  I  commend  these  pages  of  Lieu- 
tenant Ives,  and,  in  fact,  his  whole  report,  to  all  who  delight 
in  word-painting  of  natural  scenery,  for  the  lieutenant  cer- 
tainly handled  his  pen  as  well  as  he  did  his  sword.'      Emerging 


Fortification  Rock. 

Castellated  Gravels  at  the  foot.     Near  the  head  of  Black  Canyon. 
Photograph  by  Wheeler  Exp. 


from  the  solemn  depths  of  Black  Canyon  (twenty-five  miles 
long)  he  and  his  small  party  passed  Fortification  Rock  and 
continued  on  two  miles  up  the  river  to  an  insignificant  little 
stream  coming  in  from  the  north,  which  he  surmised  might  be 
the  Virgen,  though  he  hardly  thought  it  could  be,  and  it  was 
not.  It  was  Vegas  Wash.  This  was  his  highest  point.  Turn- 
ing about,  he  descended  to  the  steamboat  camp  and  called  that 
place  the  head  of  navigation,   not  that  he  did  not  believe  a 

'  It  may  be  of  interest  to  state  that  Lieutenant  Ives  became  an  officer  in  the 
Confederate  Army,  and  was  killed  in  one  of  the  battles  of  the  Civil  War. 


A  Land  Expedition 


169 


steamer  might  ascend,  light,  through  Black  Canyon,  but  he 
considered  it  impracticable.  Running  now  down-stream  in 
the  Explorer,  the  expected  pack-train  was  encountered  at  the 
foot  of  Pyramid  Canyon,  and  a  welcome  addition  was  made  to 
the  supplies. 

The  steamboat  was  now  sent  back  to  the  fort  and  Ives  pre- 
pared for  a  land  journey,  which  led  him  eastward  over  much 


The  Canyon  of  Diamond  Creek. 

Photograph   by  W.  H.   Jackson. 


the  same  route  that  Garces  had  traversed  so  long  ago  on  his 
march  to  Oraibi.  Ireteba  was  his  guide.  They  went  to  the 
mouth  of  Diamond  Creek,  where  they  had  their  first  view  of 
the  Grand  Canyon,  or  Big  Canyon,  as  they  called  it,  of  which 
Ireteba  had  before  given  them  some  description.  The  illus- 
trations given  in  Ives's  report  of  both  Black  and  Grand  Can- 
yons are  a  libel  on  these  magnificent  wonder-places,  and  in  no 
way  compare  with  the  lieutenant's  admirable  pen-pictures. 
Crossing  the  Colorado  Plateau  (which  another  explorer  ten  or 


170  The  Colorado  River 

twelve  years  later  claims  the  honour  of  naming,  forgetting  that 
Ives  uses  the  name  in  his  report),  they  visited  the  Havasupai 
in  their  deep  canyon  home,  just  as  Garces  had  done,  and  then 
proceeded  to  the  towns  of  the  Moki.  Ives  was  deeply  im- 
pressed by  the  repelkint  nature  of  the  great  canyon  and  the 
surroundings,  and  remarks:  "It  seems  intended  by  nature 
tiiat  tile  Colorado  River,  along  the  greater  portion  of  its  lonely 
and  majestic  way,  shall  be  forever  unvisited  and  undisturbed." 

Late  in  the  same  year  that  Lieutenant  Ives  made  his  inter- 
esting and  valuable  exploration,  another  military  post  was 
established  on  the  Colorado,  and  called  Fort  Mohave,  just 
about  where  the  California  line  intersects  the  stream.  Lower 
down,  Colorado  City  had  been  laid  out  several  years  before 
{1854)  under  amusing  circumstances.  The  Yuma  ferry  at  that 
time  was  operated  by  a  German,  thrifty  after  his  kind,  and  on 
the  lookout  for  a  "good  thing."  A  party  of  indigent  pros- 
pectors, returning  from  the  survey  of  a  mine  in  Mexico, 
reached  the  Arizona  bank  with  no  money  to  pay  for  the 
crossing,  and  hit  upon  the  ingenious  plan  of  surveying  a  town 
site  here  and  trading  lots  to  the  German  for  a  passage.  Boldly 
commencing  operations,  the  sight  of  the  work  going  on  soon 
brought  the  ferryman  over  to  investigate,  and  when  he  saw 
the  map  under  construction  he  fell  headlong  into  the  scheme, 
which  would,  as  they  assured  him,  necessitate  a  steam  ferry.' 
The  result  was  the  immediate  sale  of  a  portion  of  the  town  to 
him  and  the  exchange  of  a  lot  for  the  necessary  transportation 
to  the  opposite  bank.  Afterwards,  these  parties  did  what  they 
could  to  establish  the  reality  of  the  project,  but  up  to  date  it 
has  not  been  noted  as  a  metropolis,  and  the  floods  of  1 861-2 
undermined  its  feeble  strength.  Another  name  for  it  was 
Arizona  City. 

The  year  following  the  Ives  expedition,  Captain  Macomb 
(1859)  ^^'^s  sent  to  examine  the  junction  of  the  Green  and 
Grand  rivers.  For  a  considerable  distance  he  followed,  from 
Santa  Fe,  almost  the  same  trail  that  Escalante  had  travelled 

^Across  America  and  Asia,  by  Raphael  Pumpelly,  p.  6o.  The  portion  of  this 
admirable  work  relating  to  the  vicinity  of  the  Colorado  River  will  be  found  of 
great  interest  in  this  connection. 


Macomb's  Expedition 


171 


•eighty-three  years  previously.  Dr.  Newberry,  the  eminent 
geologist  who  had  been  with  Ives,  was  one  of  this  party,  and 
he  has  given  an  interesting  account  of  the  journey.  The 
region  lying  immediately  around  the  place  they  had  set  out 
for  is  one  of  the  most  formidable  in  all  the  valley  of  the 
Colorado.      Looking  about  one  there,  from  the  summit  of  the 


Fort  Yuma  and  the  Old  Railway  Bridge  of  the  Southern  Pacific. 
Photograph  by  C.  R.  Savage. 


canyon  walls,  it  seems  an  impossibility  for  anything  without 
the  power  of  flight  to  approach  the  spot,  except  by  way  of  the 
river  channels.  Macomb  and  Newberry  succeeded  in  forcing 
their  way  to  within  about  six  miles  of  the  junction,  there  to 
be  completely  bafifled  and  turned  back.  Arriving  finally  at 
the  brink  of  the  canyon  of  Grand  River,  Newberry  says: 


1  'J2 


The  Colorado  River 


"  On  every  side  we  were  surrounded  by  columns,  pinnacles,  and 
castles  of  fantastic  shapes,  which  limited  our  view,  and  by  impas- 
sable canons,  which  restricted  our  movements.  South  of  us,  about 
a  mile  distant,  rose  one  of  the  castle-like  buttes,  which  I  have  men- 
tioned, and  to  which,  though  with  difficulty,  we  made  our  way. 
This  butte  was  composed  of  alternate  layers  of  chocolate-colored 
sandstone  and  shale  about  one  thousand  feet  in  height;  its  sides 
nearly  perpendicular,  but  most  curiously  ornamented  with  columns 
and  pilasters,  porticos  and  colonnades,  cornices  and  battlements, 
flanked  here  and  there  with  tall  outstanding  towers,  and  crowned 


At  the  Junction  of  the  Green  and  Grand  on  the  Surface. 
Photograph  by  E.  O.  Beamax,  U.  S.  Colo.  Riv.  Exp. 


with  spires  so  slender  that  it  seemed  as  though  a  breath  of  air  would 
suffice  to  topple  them  from  their  foundations.  To  accomplish  the 
object  for  which  we  had  come  so  far,  it  seemed  necessary  that  we 
should  ascend  this  butte.  The  day  was  perfectly  clear  and  intensely 
hot,  the  mercury  standing  at  92°  in  the  shade,  and  the  red  sand- 
stone, out  of  which  the  landscape  was  carved,  glowed  in  the  heat  of 
the  burning  sunshine.  Stripping  off  nearly  all  our  clothing,  we 
made  the  attempt,  and,  after  two  hours  of  most  arduous  labor,  suc- 
ceeded in  reaching  the  summit.  The  view  which  there  burst  upon  us 
was  such  as  am[ily  repaid  us  for  all  our  toil.      It  bafffes  description." 


Macomb's  Failure  173 

He  goes  on  to  say  that,  while  the  great  canyon,  meaning  the 
Grand  Canyon,  with  its  gigantic  cliffs,  presents  grander  scenes, 
they  have  less  variety  and  beauty  of  detail  than  this.  They 
were  here  able  to  see  over  an  area  of  some  fifty  miles  diameter, 
where,  hemmed  in  by  lines  of  lofty  step-like  mesas,  a  great 
basin  lay  before  them  as  on  a  map.  There  was  no  vegetation, 
"nothing  but  bare  and  barren  rocks  of  rich  and  varied  colours 
shimmering  in  the  sunlight.  Scattered  over  the  plain  were 
thousands  of  the  fantastically  formed  buttes  to  which  I  have  re- 
ferred ,  .  .  pyramids,  domes,  towers,  columns,  spires  of  every 
conceivable  form  and  size."  There  were  also  multitudes  of 
canyons,  ramifying  in  every  direction,  "deep,  dark,  and  ragged, 
impassable  to  everything  but  the  winged  bird. ' '  At  the  nearest 
point  was  the  canyon  of  the  Grand,  while  four  miles  to  the 
south  another  great  gorge  was  discerned  joining  it,  which  their 
Amerind  guides  pronounced  to  be  that  of  Green  River.  Find- 
ing it  utterly  impossible  for  them  to  reach  this  place,  they 
returned. 

Thus,  after  all  these  years  of  endeavour,  the  mighty 
Colorado  foamed  away  amidst  this  terrible  environment  as  if 
no  human  element  yet  existed  in  the  world.  And  as  it  con- 
tinued to  baffle  all  attempts  to  probe  its  deeper  mysteries,  the 
dread  of  it  and  the  fear  of  it  grew  and  grew,  till  he  who  sug- 
gested that  a  man  might  pass  through  the  bewildering  chasms 
and  live,  was  regarded  as  light-headed.  Then  came  the  awful 
war  of  the  Rebellion,  and  for  several  years  little  thought  was 
bestowed  on  the  problem.' 

Some  few  prospectors  for  mineral  veins  began  investigations 
in  the  neighbourhood  of  the  lower  part  of  the  Grand  Canyon, 
and  the  gorge  was  entered  from  below,  about  1864,  by  O.  D. 
Gass  and  three  other  men.  I  met  Gass  at  his  home  at  Las 
Vegas  (see  cut,  page  137)  in  1875,  but  I  did  not  then  know  he 
had  been  in  the  canyon  and  did  not  hear  his  story. 

It  was  not  till  1866  that  any  one  tried  again  to  navigate  the 
river  above  Mohave.      In  that  year  Captain  Rodgers,  who  for 

'  The  troops  that  were  so  foolishly  and  feebly  sent  against  the  Mormons  in 
1857  had  some  experience  in  Green  River  Valley,  but  it  was  not  directly  con- 
nected with  this  story  and  I  will  not  introduce  an  account  of  it  here. 


174 


The  Colorado  River 


four  years  had  been  on  the  lower  Colorado,  took  the  steam- 
boat Esmeralda,  ninety-seven  feet  long  and  drawing  three  and 
one-half  feet  of  water,  up  as  far  as  Callville,  near  the  mouth 
of  the  Virgen,  which  was  several  miles  beyond  the  highest 
point  attained  by  Ives  in  his  skiff,  but  little,  if  any,  farther 
than  Johnson  had  gone  with  his  steamboat.  He  ascended  the 
most  difficult  place.  Roaring  Rapids  in  Black  Canyon,  in  seven 
minutes,  and  was  of  the  opinion  that  it  could  as  easily  be  sur- 
mounted at  any  stage  of  water,  except  perhaps  during  the 

spring  rise.  It  does 
not  matter  much  now, 
for  it  is  not  likely  that 
any  steam  craft  will 
soon  again  have  occa- 
sion to  traverse  that 
canyon.  The  comple- 
tion of  the  railways 
was  a  death  blow  to 
steam  navigation  on  the 
Colorado,  yet,  in  the 
future,  when  the  fertile 
bottoms  are  brought 
under  cultivation,  small 
steamboats  will  proba- 
bly be  utilised  for  local 
transportation. 

The  journey  of  the 
Esmeralda  added  noth- 
Photograph  by  c.  R.  Savage.  ing    to    what     was    al- 

ready known.  The 
following  year,  1867,  a  man  was  picked  up  at  Callville,  in 
an  exhausted  and  famishing  condition,  by  a  frontiersman 
named  Hardy.  When  he  had  been  revived  he  told  his 
story.  It  was  that  he  had  come  on  a  raft  through  the 
Grand  Canyon  above,  and  all  the  canyons  antecedent  to  that 
back  to  a  point  on  Grand  River.  The  story  was  apparently 
straightforward,  and  it  was  fully  accepted.  At  last,  it  was 
thought,  a  human  being  has  passed  through  this  Valley  of  the 


The  Barrel  Cactus  Compared  with  the  Height 
of  a  Man. 


White's  Fiction  175 

Shadow  of  Death  and  lived  to  tell  of  its  terrors.  Hardy  took 
him  down  to  Fort  Mohave,  where  he  met  Dr.  Parry/  who  re- 
corded his  whole  story,  drawn  out  by  many  questions,  and 
believed  it.  This  was  not  surprising;  for,  no  man  ever  yet 
having  accomplished  what  White  claimed  to  have  done,  there 
was  no  way  of  checking  the  points  of  his  tale.  "Now,  at  last," 
remarks  Dr.  Parry,  "we  have  a  perfectly  authentic  account, 
from  an  intelligent  source,  from  a  man  who  actually  traversed 
its  formidable  depths,  and  who,  fortunately  for  science,  still 
lives  to  detail  his  trustworthy  observations  of  this  remarkable 
voyage."  The  doctor  was  too  confiding.  Had  I  the  space  I 
would  give  here  the  whole  of  White's  story,  for  it  is  one  of  the 
best  bits  of  fiction  I  have  ever  read.  He  had  obtained  some- 
how a  general  smattering  of  the  character  of  the  river,  but  as 
there  were  trappers  still  living,  Kit  Carson,  for  example,  who 
possessed  a  great  deal  of  information  about  it,  this  was  not  a 
difficult  matter.  But  that  he  had  no  exact  knowledge  of  any 
part  of  the  river  above  the  lower  end  of  the  Grand  Canyon,  is 
apparent  to  one  who  is  familiar  with  the  ground,  and  the  many 
discrepancies  brand  the  whole  story  as  a  fabrication.  In  the 
language  of  the  frontier,  he  "pitched  a  yarn,"  and  it  took 
beautifully.  Hardy,  whom  I  met  in  Arizona  a  good  many 
years  ago,  told  me  he  believed  the  man  told  the  truth,  but  his 
belief  was  apparently  based  only  on  the  condition  White 
was  in  when  rescued.  That  he  was  nearly  dead  is  true,  but 
that  is  about  all  of  his  yarn  that  is.  White  was  thirty-two 
years  old,  and  from  Kenosha,  Wisconsin.  He  said  that,  with 
two  others,  he  was  prospecting  in  Southwestern  Colorado  in 
the  summer  of  that  year,  1867,  when,  on  Grand  River,  they 
were  attacked  by  the  Utes.  Baker,  the  leader,  fell  mortally 
wounded.  Of  course.  White  and  the  other  man,  Strole,  stood 
by  their  leader,  in  the  teeth  of  the  enemy's  fire,  till  he  expired. 
What  would  the  story  have  been  without  this  example  of  de- 
votion and  fortitude?  Then,  holding  the  pursuers  in  check, 
they  slowly  retreated  down  the  side  canyon  they  were  in  to 

'  Parry's  first  record  of  White's  story  is  in  Report  of  Surveys  for  a  Railway 
across  the  Continent  by  \Vm.  J.  Palmer,  1868.  Dr.  C.  C.  Parry  was  assistant 
geologist  of  the  Survey. 


176  The  Colorado  River 

the  main  gorge,  where  they  discovered  an  abundance  of  drift- 
wood, and  decided  to  make  a  raft  with  which  to  escape.  This 
raft  consisted  of  three  sticks  of  cottonwood  about  ten  feet  long 
and  eight  inches  diameter,  tied  together  with  lariats.  They 
had  abandoned  their  horses  above,  bringing  only  their  arms, 
ammunition,  and  some  food.  Waiting  for  midnight  to  come 
so  that  their  pursuers  might  not  discover  their  intention,  they 
seized  their  poles  and,  under  the  waning  moon,  cast  ofT  and 
were  soon  on  the  tempestuous  tide,  rushing  through  the  yawn- 
ing chasm.  "Through  the  long  night  they  clung  to  the  raft 
as  it  dashed  against  half-concealed  rocks,  or  whirled  about  like 
a  plaything  in  some  eddy. "  When  daylight  came  they  landed, 
as  they  had  a  smoother  current  and  less  rugged  banks,  though 
the  canyon  walls  appeared  to  have  increased  in  height.  They 
strengthened  their  raft  and  went  on.  In  the  afternoon,  after 
having  floated  about  thirty  miles  from  the  starting  point  they 
reached  the  junction  of  the  Grand  and  Green,  So  far  all  is 
well,  but  here  he  makes  his  first  break,  as  he  had  no  conception 
of  the  actual  character  of  the  rivers  at  the  junction.  He  says 
the  canyon  now  far  surpassed  that  of  either  of  the  forming 
streams,  which  is  not  so.  For  five  or  six  miles  below  the 
junction  there  is  little  change,  yet  he  describes  the  walls  as 
being  four  thousand  feet  high,  an  altitude  never  attained  in 
Cataract  Canyon  at  all,  the  highest  being  somewhat  under 
three  thousand,  while  at  the  junction  they  are  only  thirteen 
hundred.  Then  he  goes  on  to  say  that  detached  pinnacles 
appeared  to  rise  "one  above  the  other,"  for  one  thousand  feet 
more,  giving  an  altitude  here  of  five  thousand  feet,  clearly  an 
impression  in  his  mind  of  the  lower  end  of  the  Grand  Canyon, 
which  he  had  doubtless  become  somewhat  familiar  with  in 
some  prospecting  trip.  He  fancied  the  "Great  Canyon"  be- 
gan at  the  junction  of  the  Grand  and  Green,  and  he  did  not  ap- 
preciate the  distance  that  intervened  between  Callville  and  that 
point.  They  tied  up  at  night  and  travelled  in  the  day.  No 
mention  is  made  of  the  terrific  rapids  which  roar  in  Cataract 
Canyon,  but  he  speaks  of  the  "grey  sandstone  walls"  the 
lower  portion  smooth  from  the  action  of  floods.  There  exist 
some  greyish  walls;  but  most  are  red  except    in  the  granite 


177  Canyon  of  San  Juan  River  Looking  West  at  Honiket  Trail,  Utah. 

200O  feet  deep. 

Photograph  by  Charles  Goodman. 


178 


The  Colorado  River 


gorges  of  the  Grand  Canyon,  where,  for  a  thousand  feet,  they 
are  black.  Below  the  junction,  forty  miles,  they  came  to  the 
mouth  of  the  San  Juan!  Yet  Cataract  Canyon  and  Narrow 
together,  the  first  canyons  of  the  Colorado  proper,  are  fifty 


A  Glen  of  Glen  Canyon. 
These  are  numerous  hence  the  name. 


miles  long  and  the  San  Juan  comes  in  at  least  seventy-five 
miles  below  their  end.  The  walls  of  the  San  Juan  he  describes 
as  being  as  high  as  those  of  the  Colorado,  which  he  has  just 
been  talking  about,  that  is,  five  thousand  feet,  yet  for  these 
seventy-five  miles  he  would   have  actually  been  passing  be- 


White's  Blunders  179 

tween  walls  of  about  one  thousand  feet.  He  says  he  could  not 
escape  here  because  the  waters  of  the  San  Juan  were  so  vio- 
lent they  filled  its  canyon  from  bank  to  bank.  In  reality,  he 
could  have  made  his  way  out  of  the  canyon  (Glen  Canyon)  in 
a  great  many  places  in  the  long  distance  between  the  foot  of 
Narrow  Canyon  and  the  San  Juan.  There  is  nothing  difficult 
about  it.  But  not  knowing  this,  and  nobody  else  knowing  it 
at  that  time,  the  yarn  went  very  well.  Also,  below  the  San 
Juan,  as  far  as  Lee's  Ferry,  there  are  numerous  opportunities 
to  leave  the  canyon ;  and  there  are  a  great  many  attractive 
bottoms  all  the  way  through  sunny  Glen  Canyon,  where  land- 
ings could  have  been  made  in  a  bona  fide  journey,  and  birds 
snared ;  anything  rather  than  to  go  drifting  along  day  after  day 
toward  dangers  unknown.  "At  every  bend  of  the  river  it 
seemed  as  if  they  were  descending  deeper  into  the  earth,  and 
that  the  walls  were  coming  closer  together  above  them,  shut- 
ting out  the  narrow  belt  of  sky,  thickening  the  black  shadows, 
and  redoubling  the  echoes  that  went  up  from  the  foaming 
waters,"  all  of  which  is  nonsense.  They  were  not  yet,  even 
taking  their  own,  or  rather  his  own,  calculations,  near  the 
Grand  Canyon,  and  the  whole  one  hundred  and  forty-nine 
miles  of  Glen  Canyon  are  simply  charming;  altogether  delight- 
ful. One  can  paddle  along  in  any  sort  of  craft,  can  leave  the 
river  in  many  places,  and  in  general  enjoy  himself.  I  have 
been  over  the  stretch  twice,  once  at  low  water  and  again  at 
high,  so  I  speak  from  abundant  experience.  Naively  he  re- 
marks, "as  yet  they  had  seen  no  natural  bridge  spanning  the 
chasm  above  them,  nor  had  fall  or  cataract  prevented  their  safe 
advance!"  Yet  they  are  supposed  to  have  passed  through 
the  forty-one  miles  of  Cataract  Canyon's  turmoil,  which  I  ven- 
ture to  say  no  man  could  ever  forget.  They  had  been  only 
four  days  getting  to  a  point  below  the  San  Juan,  simply  drift- 
ing; that  is  about  two  hundred  miles,  or  some  fifty  miles  a 
daylight  day.  Around  three  o'clock  on  the  fourth  day  they 
heard  the  deep  roar  as  of  a  waterfall  in  front  of  them. 

"They  felt  the  raft  agitated,  then  whirled  along  with  frightful 
rapidity  towards  a  wall  that  seemed  to  bar  all  further  progress.     As 


i8o 


The  Colorado  River 


they  approached  tlie  ( lit!'  the  river  made  a  sharj)  ]:)end,  around  which 
the  raft  swept,  disclosing  to  them,  in  a  long  vista,  the  water  lashed 
into  foam,  as  it  poured  through  a  narrow  precipitous  gorge,  caused 
by  huge  masses  of  rock  detached  from  the  main  walls.      There  was 


■-e?^ 


Cataract  Canyon  Rapid  at  Low  Water. 

Photograph  by  E.  O   Beamax,  U.  S.  Colo.  Riv.  Exp 


no  time  to  think.  The  logs  strained  as  if  they  would  break  their 
fastenings.  The  waves  dashed  around  the  men,  and  the  raft  was 
buried  in  the  seething  waters.  White  clung  to  the  logs  with  the  grip 
of  death.  His  comrade  stood  up  for  an  instant  with  the  pole  in  his 
hands,  as  if  to  guide  the  raft  from  the  rocks  against  which  it  was 


White's  Prayer 


i«i 


plunging;  but  he  had  scarcely  straightened  before  the  raft  seemed 
to  leap  down  a  chasm  and,  amid  the  deafening  roar  of  waters,  White 
heard  a  shriek  that  thrilled  him  to  the  heart,  and,  looking  around, 
saw,  through  the  mist  and  spray,  the  form  of  his  comrade  tossed  for 
an  instant  on  the  water,  then  sinking  out  of  sight  in  a  whirlpool." 

On  the  fifth  day  White  lashed  himself  to  the  raft.  He  then 
describes  a  succession  of  rapids,  passing  which  with  great  diffi- 
culty he  reached  a  stream  that  he  afterward  learned  was  the 
Little  Colorado.  He  said  the  canyon  was  like  that  of  the  San 
Juan,  but  they  are  totally  different.  The  current  of  this  stream 
swept  across  that  of  the  Colorado,  "causing  in  a  black  chasm 
on  the  opposite  bank  a  large  and  dangerous  whirlpool."  He 
could  not  avoid  this  and  was  swept  by  the  cross  current  into 
this  awful  place,  which,  to  relieve  the  reader's  anxiety,  I  hasten 
to  add,  does  not  exist.  There  is  no  whirlpool  whatever  at  the 
mouth  of  the  Little  Colorado,  nor  any  other  danger.  But 
White  now  felt  that  further  exertion  was  useless,  and  amidst 
the  "gurgling  "  waters  closed  his  eyes  for  some  minutes,  when, 
feeling  a  strange  swinging  sensation,  he  opened  them  and  found 
that  he  was  circling  round  the  whirlpool,  sometimes  close  to 
the  terrible  vortex,  etc.  He  thought  he  fainted.  He  was 
nothing  if  not  dramatic.  W^hen  he  recovered  it  was  night. 
Then  for  the  first  time  he  thought  of  prayer.  "I  spoke  as  if 
from  my  very  soul,  and  said:  'Oh,  God,  if  there  is  a  way  out 
of  this  fearful  place,  show  it  to  me,  take  me  to  it.'  "  His  nar- 
rator says  White's  voice  here  became  husky  and  his  features 
quivered.  "I  was  still  looking  up  with  my  hands  clasped  when 
I  felt  a  different  movement  of  the  raft  and  turning  to  look  at 
the  whirlpool  it  was  some  distance  behind  (he  could  see  it  in 
the  night ! ),  and  I  was  floating  on  the  smoothest  current  I  had 
yet  seen  in  the  canyon."  The  current  was  now  very  slow  and 
he  found  that  the  rapids  were  past.  The  terrible  mythical 
whirlpool  at  the  innocent  mouth  of  the  Little  Colorado  was 
the  end  of  the  turmoil,  though  he  said  the  canyon  went  on. 
the  course  of  the  river  being  exceedingly  crooked,  and  shut  in 
by  precipices  of  white  sand  rock!  There  is  no  white  "sand- 
rock"  in  the  Grand  Canyon.     All  through  this  terrific  gorge 


\ 


'V/vi- 


f - 


Looking  up  the  Grand  Canyon  from  Mouth  of  Kanab  Canyon. 
Pencil  sketch  on  the  spot  by  F.  S.  Dellenbaugh,  1875 


A  Splendid  Yarn  183 

wherein  the  river  falls  some  eighteen  hundred  feet,  White 
found  a  slow  current  and  his  troubles  from  rapids  were  over! 
For  217  miles  of  the  worst  piece  of  river  in  the  world,  he  found 
no  difficulty.  The  gloom  and  lack  of  food  alone  oppressed 
him,  and  he  thought  of  plunging  from  the  raft,  but  lacked  the 
courage.  Had  he  really  entered  the  Grand  Canyon  his  raft 
would  have  been  speedily  reduced  to  toothpicks  and  he  would 
not  have  had  the  choice  of  remaining  upon  it.  Finally,  he 
reached  a  bank  upon  which  some  mesquite  bushes  grew,  and 
lie  devoured  the  green  pods.  Then  sailing  on  in  a  sort  of 
stupor  he  was  roused  by  voices  and  saw  some  Yampais,  who 
gave  him  meat  and  roasted  mesquite  beans.  Proceeding,  he 
heard  voices  again  and  a  dash  of  oars.  It  was  Hardy  and  at 
last  White  was  saved  ! 

We  have  seen  various  actors  passing  before  us  in  this 
drama,  but  I  doubt  if  any  of  them  have  been  more  picturesque 
than  this  champion  prevaricator.  But  he  had  related  a  splen- 
did yarn.  What  it  was  intended  to  obscure  would  probably 
he  quite  as  interesting  as  what  he  told.  Just  where  he  entered 
upon  the  river  is  of  course  impossible  to  decide,  but  that  he 
never  came  through  the  Grand  Canyon  is  as  certain  as  any- 
thing can  be.  His  story  reveals  an  absolute  ignorance  of  the 
river  and  its  walls  throughout  the  whole  course  he  pretended 
to  have  traversed. 

Note. — Mr.  R.  B.  Stanton  in  1907  discovered  that  White  was  ahve  in  New 
Mexico.  With  a  stenographer  Mr.  Stanton  visited  him  and  concludes  that  White 
was  not  responsible  for  the  tale,  and  that  Parry's  imagination  filled  in  the  details. 
Mr.  Stanton  proves  absolutely  that  White  never  went  through  the  Grand  Canyon 
:and  that  his  route  was  from  the /ooi  of  the  Grand  Canyon  to  Callville. 


CHAPTER    VIII 

The  One-armed  Knight — A  Bold  Attack  on  tlie  Canyons — Powell  and  His  Men 
— The  Wonderful  Voyage — Mighty  Walls  and  Roaring  Rapids — Capsizes  and 
Catastrophes. 

WHEN  the  Civil  War  was  finally  over,  the  wilds  of  the 
Far  West  again  called  in  seductive  voice  to  the  ad- 
venturous and  the  scientific.  The  fur-trade  as  an  absorbing 
industry  was  dead,  but  mining,  prospecting,  ranching,  and 
scientific  exploring  took  its  place.  Among  the  naturalists 
who  crossed  the  Rocky  Mountains  for  purposes  of  investiga- 
tion, fascinated  by  the  broad,  inviting  field,  was  a  one-armed 
soldier,  a  former  officer  of  volunteers  in  the  Union  Army. 
His  right  forearm  had  remained  on  the  battlefield  of  Shiloh, 
but  when  a  strong  head  is  on  the  shoulders  a  missing  arm 
makes  little  difference,  and  so  it  was  with  Major  Powell.  In 
the  summer  of  1867,  when  he  was  examining  Middle  Park, 
Colorado,  with  a  small  party,  he  happened  to  explore  a  mod- 
erate canyon  on  Grand  River  just  below  what  was  known  as 
Middle  Park  Hot  Springs,  and  became  enthused  with  a  desire 
to  fathom  the  Great  Mystery.  Consequently,  he  returned  the 
next  year,  made  his  way  to  the  banks  of  White  River,  about 
1 20  miles  above  its  mouth,  and  there  erected  cabins,  with  the 
intention  of  remaining  through  the  snow  season  till  the  follow- 
ing spring  should  once  again  unlock  the  frost-gates  of  the 
range.  There  being  now  no  bison  trails  hard-beaten  into  the 
snow,  it  was  a  more  difificult  undertaking  to  cross,  except  in 
summer.      Mrs.  Powell  was  with  the  party. 

During  this  winter  of   1868-69,    Powell  made  several   im- 

184 


John  Wesley  Powell. 

Explorer  of  the  Canyons  of  the  Colorado,  Founder  and,  till  his  death,  Director  of  the- 
Bureau  of  American  Ethnology,  and  long  Director  of  the  U.S.  Geological  Survey.  As  he 
looked  during  the  decade  following  his  two  descents  of  the  Colorado.  Taken  about  1S76 
in  Washington       Major  Powell  died  September  23d,  ig02. 


I8s 


1 86  The  Colorado  River 

portant  journeys  in  connection  with  his  purpose  of  exploring 
the  great  walled  river;  one  was  down  toward  the  south  as  far 
as  Grand  River;  a  second  followed  White  River  to  its  junction 
with  the  Green,  and  a  third  went  northward  around  the  eastern 
base  of  the  Uinta  Mountains,  skirting  the  gorges  afterward 
named  Lodore,  W'iiirlpool,  Red  Canyon,  etc.  In  these  travels 
lie  formed  his  plans  for  an  attempt  to  fully  explore,  by  means 
of  a  boat  voyage,  the  remarkable  string  of  chasms  which  for 
more  than  three  centuries  had  defied  examination.  He  de- 
cided that  the  starting  point  must  be  where  the  Union  Pacific 
Railway  had  just  been  thrown  across  Green  River,  and  that 
the  only  chance  for  success  was  to  continue  on  the  torrential 
flood  till  either  he  should  arrive  at  the  end  of  the  great  can- 
yons near  the  mouth  of  the  Rio  Virgen  or  should  himself  be 
vanquished  in  the  endeavour.  It  was  to  be  a  match  of  human 
skill  and  muscle  against  rocks  and  cataracts,  shut  in  from  the 
outer  world,  always  face  to  face  with  the  Shadow  of  Death. 
It  was  to  be  a  duel  to  the  finish  between  the  mysterious  tor- 
rent on  the  one  side  and  a  little  group  of  valiant  men  on  the 
other.  Never  had  plumed  knight  of  old  a  more  dreadful  an- 
tagonist. Like  the  Sleeping  Beauty,  this  strange  Problem  lay 
in  the  midst  of  an  enchanted  land  guarded  by  the  wizard 
Aridity  and  those  wonderful  water-gods  Erosion  and  Corrasion, 
waiting  for  the  knight-errant  brave,  who  should  break  the 
spell  and  vanquish  the  demon  in  his  lair.  No  ordinary  man 
was  equal  to  this  difficult  task,  which  demanded  not  alone 
courage  of  the  highest  order,  but  combined  with  this  courage 
a  master-mind  and  the  strategic  skill  of  a  general.  But  there 
comes  a  time  for  everything.  The  moment  for  shattering  this 
mystery  had  apparently  arrived  and  the  mortal  who  was  to 
achieve  this  wonderful  feat  enters  upon  the  scene  with  the 
quiet  nerve  and  perfect  confidence  of  a  master.  He  realised  the 
gravity  of  the  proposition  and  therein  rested  his  strength.  He 
knew  no  ordinary  boat  could  hope  to  live  in  the  turmoil  of  waters 
that  lashed  themselves  to  fury  among  the  rocks  and  against  the 
towering  and  continuous  cliffs;  and  he  knew  the  party  must 
be  self-supporting  in  every  sense  of  the  term,  depending  on 
nothing  but  their  own  powers  and  what  they  could  carry  along. 


1 88 


The  Colorado  River 


The  universal  dread  of  the  Colorado  and  its  gorges  had  by 
this  time  considerably  augmented.  The  public  imagination 
pictured  the  roaring  flood  ploughing  its  dismal  channel  through 
dark  subterranean  galleries  where  human  life  would  not  be 
worth  a  single  drop  of  tossing  spray ;  or  leaping  at  a  bound 
over  precipices  beside  which  the  seething  plunge  of  Niagara 
was  but  a  toy.     No  one  could  deny  these  weird  tales.     No  one 


Part  of  a  Kj-tiJ. 
Photograph  by  J.  K.  Hillers.     U.  S.  Colo.  Riv.  Exp. 

knew,  l^ut  Powell  was  fortified  by  Science,  and  he  surmised 
that  nowhere  would  he  encounter  any  obstruction  which  his 
ingenuity  could  not  surmount. 

I  remember  one  morning,  on  the  second  voyage,  when  we 
had  made  an  early  start  and  the  night-gloom  still  lingered  in 
the  depths  of  Marble  Canyon  as  we  bore  down  on  a  particularly 
narrow  place  where  the  river  turned  a  sharp  bend  to  disappear 


An  Unknown  River  189 

between  walls  vertical  at  the  water,  into  a  deep  blue  haze,  it 
seemed  to  me  that  anything  might  be  found  there,  and  looking 
up  from  my  seat  in  the  bow  of  our  boat  into  the  gallant  ex- 
plorer's face,  I  said:  "Major,  what  would  you  have  done  on 
the  first  trip  if  just  beyond  that  bend  you  had  come  upon  a 
fall  like  Niagara?  "  He  regarded  me  a  moment  with  his  pene- 
trating gaze,  and  then  answered:  "I  don't  know."  Perhaps 
he  thought  that  what  we  now  would  find  there  was  enough 
for  the  moment. 

Captain  Mansfield,  reporting  to  the  Secretary  of  War, 
wrote  in  his  letter  of  December  lo,  1867:  "Above  Callville  for 
several  hundred  miles  the  river  is  entirely  unknown."  He 
recommended  Callville  as  the  starting-place  for  exploration, 
and  a  small  steamer  for  the  work,  with  skiffs  and  canvass  boats 
for  continuing  beyond  the  steam-navigation  limit ;  but  Captain 
Rodgers,  who  had  gone  with  the  steamboat  Esiiici-alda  up 
through  Black  Canyon,  thought  the  great  canyon  should  be 
entered  above  Callville  after  the  fall  of  water  in  the  spring,  and 
his  was  more  nearly  a  correct  idea.  The  War  Department 
continued,  however,  to  butt  against  the  wrong  end,  even  after 
the  success  of  the  other  way  had  been  demonstrated.  Some 
Mormons,  who  did  not  know,  reported  the  two  hundred  miles 
above  Callville  to  be  better  than  the  one  hundred  below.  The 
two  hundred  miles  above  contain  some  of  the  most  dangerous 
portions  of  the  river.  Colonel  Williamson  stated  in  March, 
1868,  that  he  could  obtain  no  information  of  importance  with 
regard  to  the  "Big"  canyon  except  that  contained  in  Dr. 
Parry's  account  of  White's  alleged  journey,  which  journey,  as 
I  have  pointed  out,  was  a  myth. 

"If  that  report  be  reliable,"  he  says,  "it  is  evident  that  in  the  high 
or  middle  stage  of  the  river  a  strongly  built  boat  can  come  down  the 
canon  with  safety.  Before  reading  that  report  I  had  an  idea  that  it 
would  be  a  very  dangerous  experiment  to  attempt  to  go  down  this 
canon  in  a  boat  of  any  kind,  because  I  feared  there  were  falls,  in 
going  down,  in  which  a  boat  might  be  upset  or  even  dashed  to 
pieces.  As  it  is,  now  I  believe  there  are  no  falls,  and  I  am  inclined 
to  think  the  best  way  is  to  start  above  and  descend." 


iQO  The  Colorado  River 

During  these  efforts  of  the  regular  army  officers  to  secure  in- 
formation as  to  the  possibiHty  of  exploring  the  great  canyons, 
Powell  approached  the  problem  from  an  entirely  different 
direction,  and  his  quick  and  accurate  perception  told  him  that 
to  go  down  with  the  tide  was  the  one  and  only  way.  He  was 
not  a  rich  man  ;  and  expeditions  require  funds,  but  this  was  no 
more  of  a  bar  to  his  purpose  than  the  lack  of  an  arm.  His 
father  was  a  Methodist  clergyman  of  good  old  stock,  vigorous 
of  mind  and  body,  clear-sighted,  and  never  daunted.  My  im- 
mediate impression  in  meeting  the  father,  even  in  his  old  age, 
was  of  immense  mental  and  moral  strength,  resolution,  and 
fortitude.  These  qualities  he  bequeathed  to  his  children,  and 
it  was  a  fine  inheritance.  Major  Powell,  therefore,  had  his- 
ancestry  largely  to  thank  for  the  intellect  and  the  courage  with 
which  he  approached  this  difficult  problem. 

P"unds  for  the  proposed  expedition  w^ere  furnished  by  the 
State  Institutions  of  Illinois  and  the  Chicago  Academy  of 
Science ;  none  by  the  general  Government,  so  that  this  was  in 
no  way  a  Government  matter,  except  that  Congress  passed 
a  joint-resolution  authorising  him  to  draw  rations  for  twelve 
men  from  western  army  posts.  Early  in  the  spring  of  1869, 
after  returning  from  the  rambles  along  Green  River  of  the 
previous  winter,  Powell  went  to  Chicago  and  engaged  a  com- 
petent builder  to  construct  four  strong  boats  after  his  sugges- 
tions. Three  of  these  were  of  oak,  twenty-one  feet  long,  and 
one  of  light  pine,  sixteen  feet  long,  the  latter  intended  as  an 
advance  boat,  to  be  quickly  handled  in  the  face  of  sudden 
danger.  At  the  bow  and  stern  of  each  was  a  water-tight  com- 
partment, in  which  supplies  and  instruments  could  be  packed, 
and  they  would  yet  give  buoyancy  to  the  boats  when  they 
w^ould  be  filled  with  water  by  the  breaking  waves  of  the  rapids. 
Amidships  the  boats  were  open,  and  here  also  goods,  guns, 
etc.,  were  stowed  away.  Each  had  a  long  rope,  to  use  in  low- 
ering past  the  most  dangerous  places.  Unlike  all  the  explora- 
tions on  the  lower  course  of  the  river,  this  expedition  would 
require  no  lines  for  towing.  These  four  little  craft,  which  were 
to  be  the  main  reliance  of  the  daring  men  composing  the 
party,  were  transported  free  of  charge,  together  with  the  merL 


Make-Up  of  Party 


191 


who  were  from  the  country  east  of  the  mountains,  to  Green 
River  Station,  Wyoming,  by  the  courtesy  of  the  ofificials  of  the 
Chicago,  Burlington,  and  Quincy,  and  the  Union  Pacific  rail- 
ways, who  took  a  deep  interest  in  the  proposed  descent.  The 
names  given  to  the  boats  were,  for  the  small  one,  Emma  Dean, 
the  pilot  boat  (after  Mrs.  Powell),  Kitty  Clyde  s  Sister,  Maid 


Canyon  of  Lodore — The  Wheatstack. 

Photograph  by  E.  O.  Beaman.     U.  S.  Colo.  Riv.  Exp. 


of  the  Canyon,  and  No-Name.  The  members  of  the  party, 
together  with  their  disposition  in  the  boats  at  starting,  were  as 
follows:  John  Wesley  Powell,  John  C.  Sumner,  William  H. 
Dunn — X^Q  Emma  Dean  ;  Walter  H.  Powell,  G.  Y.  Bradley — 
Kitty  Clyde' s  Sister  ;  O.  G.  Rowland,  Seneca  Rowland,  Frank 
Goodman — the  No-Name  ;  William  R.  Rawkins,  Andrew  Hall 
— Maid  of  the  Canyon. 


192  The  Colorado  River 

Powell,  as  noted,  had  been  a  volunteer  officer  in  the  Civil 
War.  After  that  he  was  connected  with  the  Wesleyan  Uni- 
versity at  Bloomington,  Illinois,  and  with  the  Normal  Univer- 
sity at  Normal,  in  the  same  state.  Sumner,  generally  known 
as  Jack  Sumner,  had  also  been  a  soldier  in  the  late  war.  He  was 
fair-haired  and  delicate-looking,  but  with  a  strong  constitution. 
Dunn  had  been  a  hunter  and  trapper.  Walter  Powell  was 
Major  Powell's  youngest  brother.  He  had  been  in  the  late 
war  and  had  there  suffered  cruelly  by  capture  and  imprison- 
ment. Bradley  was  an  orderly  sergeant  of  regulars,  had  served 
in  the  late  war,  and  resigned  from  the  army  to  join  this  party. 
O.  G.  Howland  had  been  a  printer.  Seneca  Howland  was  his 
younger  brother.  Goodman  was  a  young  Englishman.  Haw- 
kins had  been  a  soldier  in  the  late  war,  and  Andrew  Hall  was 
a  Scotch  boy  nineteen  years  old. 

The  spring  was  chosen  for  the  beginning  of  the  voyage  be- 
cause the  Green  then  is  at  flood  and  there  would  be  less  trouble 
about  floating  the  boats  through  the  shoal  places  and  amongst 
the  rocks.  The  river  in  some  respects  is  safer  at  a  lower  stage 
of  water,  but  the  work  is  harder.  This,  however,  was  not 
known  then,  and  Powell  had  to  take  his  chances  at  the  flood. 
On  May  24,  1869,  the  boats  were  manned  and  soon  were  car- 
ried out  of  sight  of  the  haphazard  group  of  houses  which  at 
that  time  constituted  this  frontier  settlement  of  Green  River. 
They  were  heavily  laden,  for  ten  months'  rations  were  carried, 
as  Powell  expected  when  winter  came  to  be  obliged  to  halt  and 
make  a  permanent  camp  till  spring.  He  calculated  the  river 
might  be  filled  with  ice.  It  has  since  been  ascertained,  how- 
ever, that  the  Colorado  proper  rarely  has  any  ice  in  it.  I  re- 
member once  hearing  that  a  great  many  years  ago  it  was  frozen 
over  in  the  neighbourhood  of  Lee's  Ferry,  where  for  a  little 
distance  the  current  is  not  rapid.  Powell  was  providing  for 
every  contingency  he  could  think  of,  and  trouble  with  ice  was 
a  possible  one.  But  even  without  ice  the  water  in  winter  is  so 
cold  that,  as  men  who  make  the  descent  must  continually  be 
saturated  by  the  breaking  waves  and  by  the  necessity  of  fre- 
quently jumping  overboard  in  avoiding  rocks,  the  danger  of 
pneumonia  is  really  greater  than  that  from  wreck.   They  had  an 


The  Start  of  1869 


193 


abundance  of  warm  clothing  for  winter,  plenty  of  ammunition, 
two  or  three  dozen  traps,  tools  of  various  kinds,  nails,  screws, 
etc.  In  the  line  of  scientific  instruments  there  were  two  sex- 
tants, four  chronometers,  a  number  of  barometers,  thermome- 
ters, compasses,  etc.  With  the  exception  of  the  E»ii/ia  Dean, 
which  had  on  board  only  instruments  and  clothing,  the  boats 
were  loaded  in  such  a  way  that  if  one  should  be  lost  the  ex- 
pedition would  still  possess  a  variety  of  articles  and  food. 

The  first  day  they  met  with  the  usual  number  of  minor  ac- 
cidents, such  as  a  starting  expedition  of  this  kind  is  seldom 


Green  River  above  Flaming  Gorge. 

Photograph  by  E.  O.  Beaman.     U.  S.  Colo.  Riv.  Exp. 

free  from,  like  breaking  an  oar,  running  on  a  shoal,  and  so  on. 
but  all  went  very  well,  and  when  the  evening  came  an  early 
camp  was  made,  and  Powell  climbed  up  and  away  from  the  river 
to  survey  the  situation. 


"  Standing  on  a  high  point,"  he  says,  "  I  can  look  off  in  every 
direction  over  a  vast  landscape  with  salient  rocks  and  cliffs  glitter- 
ing in  the  evening  sun.  Dark  shadows  are  settling  in  the  valleys 
and  gulches,  and  the  heights  are  made  higher,  and  the  depths  deeper 
by  the  glamour  and  witchery  of  light  and  shade.     Away  to  the  south, 


194  The  Colorado  River 

the  Uinta  mountains  stretch  in  a  long  Hne;  high  peaks  thrust  into 
the  sky,  and  snow-fields  glittering  like  lakes  of  molten  silver;  and 
pine  forests  in  sombre  green ;  and  rosy  clouds  playing  around  the 
borders  of  huge  black  masses;  and  heights  and  clouds  and  moun- 
tains and  snow-fields  and  forests  and  rock-lands  are  blended  into 
one  grand  view." 


This  was  the  country  before  him.  The  Uinta  Mountains, 
stretching  their  picturesque  and  mighty  barrier  across  the  de- 
termined course  of  the  river,  produce  the  first  series  of  superb 
canyons  on  the  threshold  of  which  Powell  and  his  daring  band 
were  now  setting  foot.  On  the  third  day  they  were  at  Henry's 
Fork,  in  the  neighbourhood  of  that  first  camp  in  this  locality 
made  by  Ashley  in  1825,  and  of  his  start  in  the  experiment  in 
canyon  running  which  so  nearly  terminated  his  brilliant  career. 
The  "Suck,"  noted  for  its  danger  among  the  early  trappers, 
was  easily  passed  and  Powell  makes  no  mention  of  it.  So  far 
as  I  can  ascertain  there  were  two  records  kept  on  this  expedi- 
tion, one  by  Powell  on  strips  of  brown  paper,  and  the  other  by 
Jack  Sumner  on  foolscap.  The  latter,  comprised  in  some  six 
or  eight  pages,  was  the  more  complete,  I  believe,  and  is  now  in 
Washington.  I  have  not  seen  it  since  1871,  when  we  were  in 
the  habit  of  daily  reading  its  thrilling  pages  to  find  out  what 
we  might  next  expect  in  our  descent.  If  any  other  diary  or 
journal  was  kept  by  the  men  of  this  expedition  I  have  not 
heard  of  it. 

The  first  rapid  is  in  Horseshoe  Canyon,  and  it  was  no  ob- 
stacle, being  small  and  docile,  but  when  they  had  gone  through 
the  next  canyon,  named  Kingfisher,  they  found  themselves 
at  the  beginning  of  a  new  and  closer,  deeper  gorge.  Red 
Canyon,  where  the  waters  first  begin  to  exhibit  their  grim  in- 
tention. Here  they  encountered  real  rapids,  the  boats  often 
dashing  along  at  railroad  speed,  the  waves  fiercely  breaking 
over  them,  and  bailing  becoming  an  imperative  accomplish- 
ment. The  attempt  of  a  Ute  to  run  through  this  canyon  was 
described  in  picturesque  terms  by  one  of  the  tribe.  "Rocks, 
heap,  heap,  high,"  he  said;  "water  go  hoowoogh,  hoowoogh; 
water-pony  heap  buck;  water  catch  um ;  no  see  um  Injun  any 


Canyon  of  Lodore 


195 


more!  no  see  um  squaw  any  more!  no  see  um  papoose  any- 
more! "  and  thus  begins  and  ends  the  only  history  of  native 
navigation  on  this  upper  river  I  ever  heard  of. 

After  considerable  hard  work  the  party  reached  a  particularly 
sharp,  though  not  very  high,  fall,  announced  before  arrival  by 


Red  Canyon — Green  River.     Upper  Portion.     Looking  up  Stream. 
Photograph  by  E.  O.  Beaman.      U.  S.  Colo.  Riv.  Exp. 


a  loud  and  angry  roar.  Here  a  portage  was  deemed  wise,  and 
the  goods  were  carried  up  over  the  huge  broken  rocks  and  so 
on  down  to  a  point  well  below  the  foot  of  the  drop,  where  the 
cargoes  were  again  restored  to  the  boats,  which  meanwhile  had 
been  lowered  by  lines.  It  was  here  that  the  name  of  Ashley 
and   a  year  date  were  found  inscribed  on  a  rock.      Of  this  I 


196  The  Colorado  River 

made  a  careful  copy  in  1871,  which  is  given  on  page  1 12.  The 
second  figure  could,  of  course,  be  only  an  8,  and  the  fourth 
was  plainl}-  a  5.  The  third,  however,  was  obscure,  and  Powell 
was  uncertain  whether  it  was  a  3  or  a  5.  It  could  have  been 
nothing  but  a  2,  because,  as  we  have  seen,  it  was  in  the  twen- 
ties of  the  last  century  that  Ashley  operated  in  this  region; 
and  it  was  in  1825  that  he  made  the  Red  Canyon  journey.  At 
the  date  which  a  3  would  make  he  was  a  Congressman,  and  he 
was  never  in  the  Far  West  again.  Running  on  through  Red 
Canyon  with  exhilarating  velocity,  but  without  any  serious 
drawback,  the  party  came  out  into  the  tranquil  Brown's  Hole, 
henceforth  called  Brown's  Park.  At  the  foot  of  this,  without 
any  preliminaries,  they  were  literally  swept  into  the  heart  of 
the  mountains,  for  it  is  here  that  the  river  so  suddenly  rends 
the  massive  formations  in  twain  and  speeds  away  toward  the 
sea  between  wonderful  precipices  of  red  sandstone,  churning 
itself  to  ivory  in  the  headlong  rush.  This  was  named  the 
Canyon  of  Lodore  at  the  suggestion  of  one  of  the  men.  The 
work  of  safely  proceeding  down  the  torrent  now  grew  far  more 
difficult.  Rapids  were  numerous  and  the  descent  in  most  of 
them  very  great.  The  boats  had  to  be  handled  with  extra 
caution.  The  method  of  travelling  was  for  Powell  to  go  ahead 
in  the  Einina  Dean  to  examine  the  nature  of  each  rapid  before 
the  other  boats  should  come  down  to  it.  If  he  saw  a  clear 
chute  he  ran  through  and  signalled  "come  on,"  but  if  he 
thought  it  too  risky  he  signalled  "land,"  and  the  place  was 
examined  as  well  as  he  was  able  from  the  shore.  If  this  in- 
vestigation showed  a  great  many  dangerous  rocks,  or  any  other 
dangerous  element,  a  portage  was  made,  or  the  boats  were  let 
down  along  the  edge  by  lines  without  taking  out  the  cargoes. 
In  this  careful  way  they  were  getting  along  very  well,  when 
one  day  they  came  to  a  particularly  threatening  place.  Powell 
immediately  perceived  the  danger,  and,  landing,  signalled  the 
other  boats  to  do  likewise.  Unfortunately,  the  warning  came 
too  late  for  the  N'o-Nainc,  which  was  drawn  into  a  sag,  a  sort 
of  hollow  lying  just  above  the  rapid,  to  clutch  the  unwary  and 
drive  them  over  the  fall  to  certain  destruction.  Powell  for  a 
moment  had  given  his  attention  to  the  last  boat,  and  as  he 


The  Canyon  of  Lodore — Upper  Part  of  Disaster  Falls. 

Where  Powell  lost  the  No-Name  in  iS6q. 
Photograph  by  E.  O.  Beaman.      U.  S.  Colo.  Riv.  Exp. 


198 


The  Colorado  River 


turned  a^ain  and  hurried  alon^  to  discover  the  fortune  of  the 
No-Name,  which  was  plungin<j  down,  without  hope  of  escape, 
toward  the  frightful  descent,  he  was  just  in  time  to  see  her 
strike  a  rock  and,  rebounding,  careen  so  that  the  open  com- 
partment filled  witli  water.    Sweeping  on  down  now  with  railway 


The  Canyon  of  Brush  Creek — Looking  Up. 

This  stream  enters  the  Green  not  far  below  foot  of  Split-Mountain  Canyon. 

Photograph  by  J.  K.  Hillers.     U.  S.  Colo.  Riv.  E.Kp. 


speed,  broadside  on,  she  again  struck  a  few  yards  below  and 
was  broken  completely  in  two,  the  three  men  being  tossed  into 
the  foaming  flood.  They  were  able  to  gain  some  support  by 
clinging  to  the  main  part  of  the  boat,  which  still  held  together. 
Drifting  on  swiftly  over  a  few  hundred  yards  more  to  a  second 
rapid  full  of  large  boulders,  the  doomed  craft  struck  a  third 


Saving  the  Crew  199 

time  and  was  entirely  demolished,  the  men  and  the  fragments 
being  carried  then  out  of  sight.  Powell  climbed  as  rapidly  as 
possible  over  the  huge  fallen  rocks,  which  here  lie  along  the 
shore  he  was  on,  and  presently  he  was  able  to  get  a  view  of  his 
men.  Goodman  was  in  a  whirlpool  below  a  great  rock ;  reach- 
ing this  he  clung  to  it.  Rowland  had  been  washed  upon  a  low 
rocky  island,  which  at  this  stage  of  water  was  some  feet  above 
the  current,  and  Seneca  Rowland  also  had  gained  this  place. 
Rowland  extended  a  long  pole  to  Goodman  and  by  means  of 
it  pulled  him  to  the  island,  where  all  were  safe  for  the  time 
being.  Several  hundred  yards  farther  down,  the  river  took  an- 
other and  more  violent  fall,  rendering  the  situation  exceedingly 
hazardous.  A  boat  allowed  to  get  a  trifle  too  far  towards  this 
descent  would  be  treated  as  the  No-Name  had  been  served 
higher  up,  and  the  expedition  could  not  afford  to  lose  a  second 
boat  with  its  contents.  The  water  in  these  rapids  beats  furi- 
ously against  the  foot  of  the  opposite  vertical  cliff,  and  if  a 
boat  in  either  place  should  by  chance  get  too  far  over  towards 
this  right-hand  wall  it  would  be  dashed  to  pieces  there,  even 
could  it  escape  the  rocks  of  the  main  channel.  The  problem 
was  how  to  rescue  the  men  from  the  island  and  not  destroy 
another  boat  in  doing  it.  Finally,  the  Ejiu/ia  Dean  was 
brought  down,  and  Jack  Sumner  undertook  to  reach  the  island 
in  her.  Keeping  well  up  stream,  as  near  the  first  fall  as  he 
could,  a  few  bold  strokes  enabled  him  to  land  near  the  lower 
end.  Then,  all  together,  they  pulled  the  boat  to  the  very  head 
of  the  island  and  beyond  that  as  far  as  they  could  stand  up  in 
the  water.  Rere  one  man  sat  on  a  rock  and  held  the  boat 
steady  till  the  others  were  in  perfect  readiness  to  pull  with  all 
their  power,  when  he  gave  a  shove  and,  clinging  on,  climbed 
in  while  the  oarsmen  put  their  muscle  to  the  test.  The  shore 
was  safely  attained,  and  Powell  writes:  "We  are  as  glad  to 
shake  hands  with  them  as  though  they  had  been  on  a  voyage 
around  the  world,  and  wrecked  on  a  distant  coast."  This  dis- 
aster was  most  serious,  even  though  the  men  were  saved,  for, 
besides  the  loss  of  the  craft  itself,  all  the  barometers  by  some 
miscalculation  were  on  the  No-Name.  They  were  able  to  make 
camp  on  the  shore  and  survey  the  situation.     "No  sleep  comes 


200  The  Colorado  River 

to  me  in  all  those  dark  hours."  writes  Powell.  To  meet  with 
such  a  reverse  at  so  early  a  stage  was  very  discouraging,  but 
Powell  had  counted  on  disaster,  and,  as  he  was  never  given  to 
repining,  as  soon  as  breakfast  was  eaten  the  next  morning  he 
cast  about  for  a  way  to  rescue  the  barometers  which  were  in  a 
part  of  the  wreck  that  had  lodged  among  some  rocks  a  half 
mile  below.  Sumner  and  Dunn  volunteered  to  try  to  reach  the 
place  with  the  small  boat,  and  they  succeeded.  When  they 
returned,  a  loud  cheer  went  up  from  those  on  shore,  and  Powell 
was  much  impressed  with  this  exhibition  of  deep  interest  in  the 
safety  of  the  scientific  instruments,  but  he  soon  discovered  that 
the  cheer  w^as  in  celebration  of  the  rescue  of  a  three-gallon  keg 
of  whiskey  that  had  been  smuggled  along  without  his  know- 
ledge and  happened  to  be  on  the  ill-fated  No-Name. 

It  required  a  good  deal  of  work  to  complete  the  portage 
around  the  double  fall  so  that  night  again  compelled  them  to 
camp  near  its  spray,  this  time  on  a  sand  bank  at  the  foot  of  the 
lower  descent.  Here,  half  buried  in  the  gravel  of  the  beach, 
some  objects  were  discovered  which  revealed  the  fact  that 
some  other  party  had  suffered  a  similar  disastrous  experience. 
These  were  an  iron  bake-oven,  several  tin  plates,  fragments  of 
a  boat,  and  other  indications  of  a  wreck  at  this  place  long  years 
before.  In  his  report,  Powell  ascribes  this  wreck  to  Ashley, 
but  this  is  a  mistake,  for  Ashley  seems  never  to  have  entered 
this  canyon,  ending  his  voyage,  as  I  have  previously  stated, 
when  he  reached  Brown's  Park.  This  wreckage  then  was  from 
some  other  and  later  party.  Powell  also  states  that  Ashley 
and  one  other  survivor  succeeded  in  reaching  Salt  Lake,  where 
they  were  fed  and  clothed  by  the  Mormons  and  employed  on 
the  Temple  foundation  until  they  had  earned  enough  to  enable 
them  to  leave  the  country.  These  men  could  not  have  been 
Ashley  and  a  companion,  for  several  reasons:  one  cited  above; 
another  that  the  Mormons  had  not  yet  settled  at  Salt  Lake  in 
Ashley's  day;  and  a  third,  that  Ashley  was  a  wealthy  and  dis- 
tinguished man,  and  would  not  have  required  pecuniary  help. 
The  disaster  recorded  by  the  bake-oven,  etc.,  must  then  have 
occurred  after  1 847,  the  year  the  Mormons  went  into  the  Salt 
Lake  Valley.      Possibly  it  may  have  been  the  party  mentioned 


Ancient  Wreckage 


20I 


by  Farnham  in  1839,  though  this  would  not  be  true  if  the  men 
found  Mormons  at  Salt  Lake.  An  old  mountaineer,  named 
Baker,  once  told  Powell  of  a  party  of  men  starting  down  the 
river  and  named  Ashley  as  one,  and  this  story,  which  referred 


The  Canyon  of  Lodore. 

Looking  down  at  Triplet  Falls.      Depth  about  2500  feet. 

Photograph  by  E.  O.  Beama.m.     U.  S.  Gaol.  Survey. 

undoubtedly  to  the  real  Ashley  party,  became  confused  with 
some  other  wherein  the  survivors  probably  did  strike  for  Salt 
Lake  and  were  helped  by  the  Mormons.'     At  any  rate,  the 

'  Should  any  reader  have  knowledge  of  the  men  who  were  wrecked  in  Lodore 
between  the  time  of  Ashley  and  Powell,  the  author  would  be  glad  to  hear  of  it. 


202  The  Colorado  River 

rapids  which  had  wrecked  the  earlier  party  and  swallowed  up 
the  No-Name  were  appropriately  called  Disaster  Falls. 

The  river  descends  throughout  Lodore  with  great  rapidity 
and  every  day  brought  with  it  hard  work  and  narrow  escapes. 
Sometimes  the  danger  was  of  a  novel  and  unexpected  charac- 
ter, as  on  June  i6th,  when  the  dry  willows  around  camp 
caught  fire.  Powell  had  started  for  a  climb  of  investigation 
and  looking  down  on  the  camp  he  perceived  a  sudden  tre- 
mendous activity  without  being  able  for  some  moments  to  dis- 
cover the  cause.  So  rapidly  did  the  fire  spread  that  there  was 
no  escape  except  by  the  boats.  Some  had  their  clothing 
burned  and  their  hair  singed,  while  Bradley  even  had  his  ears 
scorched.  The  cook  in  his  haste  stumbled  with  his  arms  full 
of  culinary  utensils,  and  the  load  disappeared  beneath  the 
waters,  ever  on  the  alert  to  swallow  up  man,  boat,  or  beast. 
Just  below  the  camp  was  a  rapid  and,  casting  off,  they  were 
forced  to  run  this  without  stopping  to  examine  it.  No  harm 
was  done  to  the  boats,  and  they  landed  at  the  first  opportu- 
nity. When  the  fire  had  burned  out  they  went  back  along  the 
rocks  to  pick  up  what  had  been  left  behind  and  was  uncon- 
sumed.  On  the  same  day,  as  the  men  were  in  the  act  of 
lowering  a  boat  by  lines,  she  broke  away  and  started  on  an  in- 
dependent run.  Fortunately,  she  soon  became  entangled  in  an 
eddy,  where  she  halted  long  enough  to  permit  them  to  hurry 
down  the  small  boat  and  recapture  her.  Sometimes  the  chan- 
nel was  beset  with  innumerable  great  rocks,  amidst  which  the 
river  seethed  and  boiled  in  a  manner  sufificient  to  terrify  any 
boatmen,  but,  luckily,  they  were  able  to  work  their  way  cau- 
tiously along,  and  without  further  disaster  they  came,  on  the 
17th  of  June,  to  a  place  where  the  walls  broke  away  and  they 
emerged  into  a  beautiful  park-like  widening  of  the  canyon  with 
bounding  cliffs  only  about  600  feet  high  near  the  river.  After 
the  continuous  cliffs  of  from  2000  to  2500  feet  this  place 
seemed  like  open  country.  Once  more  they  camped  in  a  quiet 
place  at  the  mouth  of  a  river  entering  through  a  deep  canyon 
on  the  left  or  east  side.  It  was  the  Yampa,  sometimes  called 
Bear  River.  After  a  side  trip  of  several  hours  up  this  canyon 
they  started  again  on  the  descent  and,  skirting  the  smooth  per- 


Echo  Park 


20' 


pendicular  wall  which  forms  the  west  side  of  Echo  Park,  they 
turned  a  corner  and  found  themselves  in  a  new  ^orge,  which, 
on  account  of  many  whirlpools  existing  at  that  stage  of  water, 
was  called  Whirlpool  Canyon.     The  run  through  this  was  ac- 


Echo  Rock  on  Right,  from  which  Echo  Park  Takes  its  Name. 

To  one  sitting  in  a  boat  near  foreground  a  sentence  of  ten  words  is  repeated. 
Photograph  by  E.  O.  Beaman. 


■complished  with  great  rapidity,  as  there  were  no  serious  ob- 
stacles, and  in  two  days  the  expedition  emerged  into  another 
-expansion  of  the  walls,  where  the  tired  men  had  a  brief  respite 
before  they  perceived  the  rocks  again  closing  in  on  the  water. 


204  The  Colorado  River 

Here  a  deer  was  brought  in  by  one  of  the  men,  and,  as  they 
killed  a  mountain  sheep  farther  up,  they  had  not  suffered  for 
fresh  meat.  The  entrance  to  the  next  canyon  was  very  abrupt, 
and  they  were  soon  whirling  along  on  a  swift  current.  Though 
there  were  many  rapids,  landings  were  eas}%  and  there  was 
plenty  of  standing  room  everywhere,  so  that  in  two  days  they 
had  the  pleasure  of  pulling  out  of  this  Split  Mountain  Canyon 
into  the  Wonsits  Valley,  the  longest  opening  in  the  whole  line 
of  canyons.  Thus  far,  no  Amerinds  had  been  seen,  not  even 
signs  of  them,  but  here  they  found  some  tipi  poles  and  the 
dead  embers  of  a  camp-fire,  showing  that  other  human  beings 
besides  themselves  had  traversed  the  lands  now  about  them. 
Pushing  ahead  over  the  sluggish  w'aters  of  the  river  in  this  val- 
ley, they  were  not  long  in  arriving  at  the  mouth  of  the  Uinta 
River,  where  Powell  and  two  others  walked  out  to  the  Ute 
Agency,  about  forty  miles  distant  up  the  Uinta.  One  of  the 
crew  of  the  wrecked  No-Na)/ic,  Frank  Goodman,  here  decided 
that  he  had  seen  all  the  canyons  his  education  required  and 
took  his  departure.  This  was  not  unwelcome  to  Powell,  for 
the  boats  were  still  heavily  loaded  and  the  three  men  who 
had  composed  the  crew  of  the  wrecked  boat  w^ere  no  longer 
actually  required.  Starting  again,  they  arrived,  not  far  be- 
low the  mouth  of  the  Uinta,  at  an  island  where  a  small  crop 
had  been  planted  by  a  "squaw-man,"  '  who  had  visited  Pow- 
ell's camp  the  previous  winter.  On  that  occasion  he  had  dis- 
closed his  intention  of  tilling  this  place  and  invited  Powell  to 
help  himself  when  he  passed  there  in  his  boats.  The  man  was 
not  at  the  farm,  and  nothing  was  ripe,  but  Hall  suggested  that 
potato-tops  make  good  "greens."  A  quantity  was  therefore 
secured,  and,  at  the  noon  stop,  cooked  and  eaten,  with  the 
obvious  result  that  all  were  violently  sick.  Luckily,  the  sick- 
ness was  brief,  and  they  were  able  to  proceed  by  the  middle  of 
the  afternoon.  Often,  the  longing,  by  men  living  on  bacon 
and  beans,  for  something  fresh  in  the  vegetable  line,  leads  to 
foolish  experiments. 

This  Wonsits  Valley  soon  came  to  an  end  and  once  more 
the  rocks  closed  in,  forming  a  canyon  lacking  the  vegetation 
'  A  white  man  married  to  a  squaw,  and  living  with  the  tribe. 


Powell  Capsized 


205 


that  had  accompanied  the  cliffs  along  the  river  above.  Because 
of  this  general  barren  appearance  the  gorge  was  called  the  Can- 
yon of  Desolation.  On  July  nth,  they  approached  a  rapid 
which  seemed  at  first  glance  no  more  difficult  to  run  than  many 
they  had  successfully  dashed  through.  The  leading  boat  by 
Powell's  direction  pulled  into  it,  but  this  move  was  no  sooner 
made  than  he  perceived  that  at  the  bottom  the  river  turned 


The  Canyon  of  Desolation — Sumner's  Amphitheatre. 

Walls  about  1200  feet. 
Photograph  by  E.  O.  Be.\.man.     U.  S.  Colo.  Riv.  Exp. 

sharply  to  the  left  and  the  waters  were  piled  against  the  foot 
of  the  cliff  in  an  alarming  manner.  An  effort  was  made  to 
land,  but  as  they  had  shortly  before  broken  one  oar  and  lost 
another,  the  two  remaining  were  not  sufficient  to  propel  the 
boat  with  force  enough  to  reach  the  desired  point.  At  the 
same  time,  a  huge  wave  striking  the  boat  turned  it  instantly 
upside  down  and  cast  Powell  some  distance  away.      He  sue- 


The  Canyon  of  Desolation — Low  Water. 

Cliffs  about  2700  feet.      Note  boat  with  men  on  rocks,  middle  distance,  making  a  let-down. 
Photograph  by  E.  O.  Beamam.      U.  S.  Colo.  Riv.  Exp, 


Bradley  Overboard  207 

ceeded  in  reaching  her  side,  and  there  found  Sumner  and  Dunn 
clinging.  When  quiet  water  was  again  entered  they  attempted 
to  right  the  craft,  and  in  doing  this  Dunn  lost  his  hold  and 
went  under,  though  at  the  critical  moment,  as  he  came  up, 
Sumner  succeeded  in  grasping  him  and  drawing  him  to  the 
boat.  By  this  time,  they  had  drifted  a  long  way  down  and  saw 
another  rapid  approaching.  By  swimming  desperately,  they 
avoided  being  carried  into  this  in  their  awkward  plight,  and, 
towing  the  boat  after  them,  landed  none  too  soon  on  a  pile  of 
driftwood  on  the  bank.  A  gun,  some  barometers,  and  other 
articles  that  were  in  the  open  compartment,  were  lost,  though 
one  roll  of  blankets  had  been  caught  and  saved  by  Powell  as  it 
drifted  by.  Building  a  large  fire  on  the  shore,  they  dried  their 
clothing,  while  out  of  one  of  the  logs  they  manufactured  much- 
needed  oars. 

Fortified  by  these,  they  ran  several  bad  rapids  the  following 
day.  In  one,  Bradley  was  knocked  overboard,  but,  his  foot 
catching  under  the  seat,  he  was  dragged  head  down  through 
the  water  till  the  worst  of  the  fall  was  passed,  when  one  of  the 
other  men  managed  to  haul  him  in.  Just  below  this,  they 
emerged  again  into  an  expansion  of  the  walls,  leaving  the 
ninety-seven  miles  of  Desolation  behind.  But  another  mile 
brought  the  rocks  back  once  more,  and  the  thirty-six  miles  of 
Gray  Canyon  must  be  passed  before  they  came  to  Gunnison 
Valley.  Beyond  this,  walls  of  sandstone  about  one  thousand 
feet  high  hemmed  the  river  in  for  some  sixty  miles,  but  the 
stream  was  not  dangerous  and  the  party  moved  on  quickly, 
though  the  absence  of  rapids  and  swift  water  made  rowing 
obligatory.  At  the  foot  of  this  gorge,  called  from  its  wind- 
ing character,  Labyrinth  Canyon,  there  was  a  brief  expansion 
before  the  next  walls  closed  upon  them.  These  were  closer 
than  any  seen  above,  but  the  river,  though  swift,  had  no  dan- 
gerous element,  so  that  progress  was  safe  and  easy,  and  in  a 
trifle  over  forty  miles  they  came  to  the  mouth  of  a  river  almost 
as  large  as  the  Green,  flowing  in  a  canyon  of  similar  depth  and 
character.  This  was  Grand  River.  At  last  they  had  reached 
the  place  where  these  two  streams  unite,  thirteen  hundred  feet 
below  the  surrounding  country ;  the  mysterious  Junction  which,. 


208 


The  Colorado  River 


so  far  as  the  records  go,  Macomb  and  all  white  men  before  had 
failed  to  find.  Therefore  when  Powell  and  his  band  floated 
down  till  the  waters  of  the  Green  mingled  with  those  of  the 
Grand  they  were  perhaps  the  first  white  men  ever  to  arrive  at 
the  spot.  The  Colorado  proper  was  now  before  them.  It 
was  the  mystery  of  mj-steries. 


CHAPTER    IX 

A  Canyon  of  Cataracts  —  The  Imperial  Chasm  —  Short  Rations  —  A  Split  in  the 
Party  —  Separation  —  Fate  of  the  Rowlands  and  Dunn  —  The  Monster 
Vanquished. 


POWELL'S  winter  of  investigation  had  probably  given  him 
a  good  idea  of  what  kind  of  rapids  might  be  expected  in 
the  formations  composing  the  canyons  as  far  as  the  mouth  of 
Grand  River,  but  he  now  had  confronting  him  water  which 
for  aught  he  could  tell  might  indulge  in  plunges  of  a  hundred 
feet  or  more  at  one  time,  between  absolutely  vertical  walls. 
And  the  aspect  of  the  surroundings  at  the  junction  of  the  Green 
and  the  Grand  is  not  reassuring.  It  is  a  barren  and  dismal 
place,  with  no  footing  but  a  few  sand-banks  that  are  being  con- 
stantly cut  away  and  reformed  by  the  whirling  current,  except 
on  their  higher  levels  where  a  few  scrawny  hackberry  trees  and 
weeds  find  room  to  continue  a  precarious  existence.  To  get 
out  of  or  into  this  locality  either  by  climbing  the  cliffs  or  by 
navigating  the  rivers  is  a  difficult  feat,  and  to  trust  oneself  to 
the  current  blindly  rushing  down  toward  the  sea  is  even 
worse,  more  especially  so  on  the  occasion  of  this  first  descent 
when  all  beyond  was  a  complete  blank.  But  the  party  faced 
the  future  bravely  and  cheerfully.  They  climbed  out  at  two 
points  on  tours  of  inspection  of  the  country  above,  while  some 
took  the  opportunity  to  overhaul  the  supply  of  rations,  which, 
having  been  so  often  wet,  was  seriously  damaged.  The  flour 
was  musty  and  full  of  hard  lumps.  To  eliminate  the  lumps, 
therefore,  they  screened  it  with  a  piece  of  mosquito  netting 
for  a  sieve ;  at  the  same  time  they  eliminated  more  than  two 

209 


2IO 


The  Colorado  River 


hundred  pounds  of  the  precious  freight  and  threw  this  away,  a 
fooHsh  proceeding,  for  by  proper  cooking  it  might  have  been 
utihsed  for  food.  Together  with  the  losses  by  the  wreck  of 
the  Xo-A^a>nc  and  other  mishaps,  and  with  what  had  been  con- 
sumed, their  food-supply  was  now  reduced  from  the  original 


Jinii  tiMii  ,,\  the  Grand  and  Green. 

On  the  svirface;  bare  rock.     Photograph  by  E.  O.  Beaman, 

U.  S.  Colo.  Riv.  Exp. 


ten-months'  amount  to  a  two-months'  quantity,  though  they 
had  not  yet  been  on  the  way  quite  sixty  days;  that  is,  they 
had  used  up  eight  months'  supplies  in  two  months,  includ- 
ing a  mountain  sheep  and  a  deer  the  hunters  had  brought 
down,  and  they  were  barely  more  than  half-way  to  the  end  of 
the   journey.     At  this  alarming  rate  they  would  be  starving 


Short  Rations  211 

long  before  they  saw  the  walls  of  the  Grand    Canyon    break 
away. 

Nevertheless  no  thought  of  pursuing  any  course  but  the  one 
planned  occurred  to  them,  and  on  July  2ist  they  cast  off  from 


In  Cataract  Canyon. 

Highest  walls  in  this  canyon  2700  feet. 
Photograph  by  E.  O.  Beaman,  U.  S.  Colo.  Riv.  Exp. 

the  sand-banks  and  were  carried  rapidly  down  on  the  swift 
torrent  of  the  Great  Colorado.  They  had  not  gone  far  before 
plenty  of  hard  work  was  furnished,  in  the  shape  of  two  portages 
that  were  necessary  to  pass  particularly  dangerous  places,  and 


2  12  The  Colorado  River 

numerous  bad  rapids  to  run.  In  the  afternoon  the  Emma 
Dean,  in  attempting  to  navigate  one  of  the  more  favourable- 
looking  foaming  descents,  was  swamped,  pitching  Powell  and 
the  others  headlong  into  the  roaring  flood.  They  were  for- 
tunately able  to  cling  to  the  boat  till  they  floated  into  more 
tranquil  waters,  where  they  managed  to  climb  on  board,  sig- 
nalling the  other  boats  to  land  before  the  plunge.  This  they 
could  do,  and  the  boats  were  brought  down  by  a  portage, 
which  took  all  the  rest  of  the  day.  The  approach  of  darkness 
compelled  a  halt  for  the  night  on  some  rocks  where  they 
had  barely  room  enough  to  lie  down.  Three  much-needed 
oars  had  been  lost  with  the  capsize  of  the  Dean.  These  were 
sadly  missed  in  the  rough  water  that  surrounded  them  the 
following  day,  so  at  the  first  large  pile  of  driftwood  they  made 
a  landing  and  secured  a  cottonwood  log  for  oar-timber.  While 
the  oars  were  making,  Powell  and  his  brother  climbed  up  to 
where  some  pin}'on  trees  were  seen  growing,  and  collected  a 
quantity  of  gum  with  which  to  calk  the  leaky  boats.  They 
needed  all  the  preparation  possible,  for  the  rapids  now  came 
ever  thicker,  ever  faster,  and  more  violent.  The  walls  also 
grew  in  altitude  from  the  thirteen  hundred  feet  of  the  Junction 
to  fifteen  hundred  feet,  then  to  eighteen  hundred  feet,  nearly 
vertical  in  places. 

An  examination  of  the  barometric  record  was  now  made  to 
see  how  much  they  had  by  this  time  descended  toward  sea- 
level,  and,  by  comparison,  about  what  might  be  expected  in  the 
river  below.  The  conclusion  was  that  though  great  descents 
were  still  ahead,  if  the  fall  should  be  distributed  in  rapids 
and  short  drops,  as  it  had  been  above,  and  not  concentrated 
in  great  plunges,  they  would  meet  with  success.  But  there 
always  remained  the  possibility  of  arriving  on  the  brink  of 
some  high  fall  where  no  footing  on  either  side  could  be  ob- 
tained, and  where  a  fierce  current  would  prohibit  a  return.  In 
such  a  case  the  exploration  would  have  ended  then  and  there. 
The  newspapers  before  this  time  had  printed  a  story  of  the 
expedition's  collapse.  The  outer  world  supposed  that  Powell 
and  all  his  men  but  one  had  been  destroyed,  though  A.  H. 
Thompson  wrote  to  the  Chicago  Intcr-Occan,  which  first  pub- 


Another  Yarn  213 

Hshed  it,  showing  its  absurdity.  Mrs.  Powell  heard  the  story 
at  her  father's  home  in  Detroit  and  she  pronounced  it  a  fabri- 
cation, for  she  had  received  a  letter  subsequent  to  the  date 
given  for  the  destruction  of  the  party.  She  also  had  faith  in 
her  husband's  judgment,  caution,  and  good  sense,  so  she 
refused  to  accept  the  tale  at  all,  which  was  circulated  by  a 
man  who  had  started  from  Green  River  Station,  and  who,  by 
"pitching"  this  picturesque  yarn,  secured  the  sympathy  and 
the  purses  of  the  passengers  on  an  east-bound  Union  Pacific 
train.  He  told  how  Powell  and  all  the  men  but  himself  had 
been  suddenly  swallowed  up  in  an  awful  place,  dark  and 
gloomy  and  full  of  fearful  whirlpools,  called  Brown's  Hole, 
From  the  shore,  where  he  alone  had  remained,  he  had 
despairingly  witnessed  the  party  disappear  in  a  mighty  whirl- 
pool never  to  rise  again.  But  he  made  a  mistake,  so  far  as  Mrs. 
Powell  was  concerned,  in  naming  the  spot.  She  knew  very 
well  that  there  was  no  danger  whatever  in  Brown's  Hole,  and 
that  the  river  in  this  pretty  park  was  the  quietest  on  the  whole 
course.  But  for  its  inventor  the  yarn  had  fulfilled  its  purpose, 
and  he  found  himself  east  of  the  Mississippi,  where  he  wanted 
to  be,  with  a  pocket  full  of  dollars.  A  week  or  two  after  the 
story  appeared  letters  were  received  from  Powell  via  the  Uinta 
Agency.     These  positively  proved  the  falsity  of  the  tale. 

On  the  fourth  day  in  Cataract  Canyon  three  portages  were 
compulsory  at  the  very  outset  to  pass  safely  over  a  stretch 
where  the  waters  tumbled  seventy-five  feet  in  three  quarters 
of  a  mile,  and  at  the  end  of  this  three  quarters  of  a  mile  they 
camped  again,  worn  out  by  the  severe  toil.  Rapids  now  came 
with  even  greater  frequency,  between  walls  more  than  two 
thousand  feet  high  and  often  nearly  vertical  from  the  water. 
On  the  27th  a  flock  of  mountain  sheep  was  discovered  on  the 
rocks  not  more  than  one  hundred  feet  above  their  heads.  The 
game  did  not  see  the  hunters,  who  landed  quickly  in  a  con- 
venient cove,  and  two  fat  sheep  were  added  to  the  rapidly 
diminishing  larder.  On  the  next  day  they  were  startled  by 
the  sudden  closing  in  of  the  walls,  till  the  canyon,  now  nearly 
three  thousand  feet  deep,  became  very  narrow,  with  the  river 
filling  the  chasm  from  one  blank  cliff  to  the  other.     The  water 


214 


The  Colorado  River 


was  also  swift  and  the  canyon  winding,  so  that  it  was  not  pos- 
sible to  see  ahead.  Powell  was  much  disturbed  lest  they 
should  run  upon  some  impassable  fall,  but  luckily  in  about  a 
mile  and  a  half  they  emertjed  again  into  a  more  broken  gorge 


,^.yk      /w^ 


The  Crags  at  Millecrag  Bend,  foot  of  Cataract  Canyon. 

Photograph  by  E.  O.  Beama.v,  U.  S.  Colo.  Riv.  Exp. 


without  having  had  the  least  difficulty.  He  justly  remarks 
that  after  it  was  done  it  seemed  a  simple  thing  to  run  through 
such  a  place,  but  the  first  doing  of  it  was  fraught  with  keen 
anxiety.  In  the  late  afternoon  of  this  same  day,  they  came 
to  the  end  of  the  forty-one  miles  of  Cataract  Canyon,  marked 


The  Dirty  Devil 


21 


by  a  deep  canyon-valley  entering  from  the  left  at  a  sharp  bend 
where  millions  of  crags,  pinnacles,  and  towers  studded  the  sum- 
mit of  the  right-hand  wall,  now  again  thirteen  hundred  feet 
high.  It  was  called 
Millecrag  Bend, 
either  then,  or  on 
the  second  expedi- 
tion. A  new  can- 
yon immediately 
formed ;  a  narrow, 
straight  canyon, 
with  walls  terraced 
above  and  vertical 
below.  The 
thirteen     hundred 


feet     of 
speedily 


altitude 
dimin- 


ished and  in  nine 
miles  the  voyagers 
w^ere  at  the  end. 
Low  walls  again 
began,  forming  the 
head  of  the  next 
canyon  of  the 
series.  Presently 
they  arrived  at  the 
mouth  of  a  river 
flowing  in  from  the 
right,  or  west.  The 
pilot  boat  ran  up 
into  this  stream, 
and  as  the  water 
of  the  Colorado 
had  been  particu- 
larly muddy,  the  men  were  eager  to  discover  clear,  sparkling 
affluents  and  springs.  One  behind  shouted.  "How  is  she. 
Jack?"  and  Jack  sententiously  replied.  "Oh.  she  's  a  dirty 
devil!"    and    by  this    title  the    river    was    long    called,   and 


The  Music  Temple  Alcove,  Glen  Canyon. 

So  called  because  the  men  of  Powell's  first  expedition 
sang  in  the  place.  On  entering  one  finds  a  huge  cavern. 
Here  the  men  who  were  later  killed  by  the  Shewits  carved 
their  names. 

Photograph  by  E.  O.  Be.\man,  U.  S.Colo.  Riv.  Exp. 


2i6  The  Colorado  River 

probably  is  still  so  known  in  that  rcL^ion,  though  on  the  maps 
it  was  afterwards  changed  by  Powell  to  Fremont  River,  in 
honour  of  the  Pathfinder. 

They  were  now  in  the  beginning  of  what  has  since  been 
called  Glen  Canyon.  Powell  at  first  gave  the  name  of  Mound 
to  the  upper  half,  and  Monument  to  the  lower,  but  after  1871 
Glen  was  substituted  for  the  whole.  On  July  31st  they  passed 
the  mouth  of  the  San  Juan,  which  enters  through  a  canyon 
similar  to  that  of  the  main  river,  about  a  thousand  feet  deep. 
They  tried  to  climb  out  near  this  point,  but  failed  to  accom- 
plish it.  The  next  day  they  made  camp  in  one  of  the  peculiar 
alcoves  or  glens  from  which  the  canyon  is  named,  worn  by 
the  waters  into  the  homogeneous  sandstone  composing  the 
walls.  This  particular  glen  is  a  beautiful  spot.  The  wide 
entrance  contains  a  number  of  Cottonwood  trees,  and  passing 
these  one  finds  himself  in  a  huge  cavern  some  five  hundred  feet 
wide  and  two  hundred  feet  high,  with  a  narrow  slit  leading  up 
to  the  sky,  and  extending  back  far  beyond  the  limits  of  the 
glen.  The  men  found  this  a  delightful  place.  They  sang 
songs,  and  their  voices  sounded  so  well  that  they  bestowed 
upon  the  cavern  the  name  of  Music  Temple.  It  now  holds  a 
special  interest  because  three  of  them,  O.  G.  Rowland,  Seneca 
Rowland,  and  William  Dunn,  carved  their  names  on  a  smooth 
face  of  rock,  and  it  forms  their  eternal  monument,  for  these 
three  never  saw  civilisation  again. 

For  149  miles  the  easy  waters  of  Glen  Canyon  bore  them 
along,  and  by  August  4th  they  had  passed  the  Crossing  of  the 
Fathers,  or  Ute  Ford,  as  it  was  called  in  that  country  before 
its  identification  as  the  point  wdiere  Escalante  crossed,  and 
were  at  the  mouth  of  the  Paria,  since  1873  better  known  as 
Lee's  Ferry.  They  had  now  before  them  the  grandest  of  all 
the  gorges,  though  only  two  hundred  feet  deep  at  the  begin- 
ning; but  they  had  not  proceeded  far  into  it  before  the  walls 
ran  rapidly  up  while  the  river  ran  rapidly  down.  Numerous 
falls  appeared,  one  following  another  in  quick  succession,  neces- 
sitating portages  and  much  hard  work.  When  Powell  managed 
to  climb  out  on  the  7th,  the  walls  had  grown  to  twenty- 
three  hundred  feet.      They  soon   increased  to  about  thirty-five 


217  The  Depths  of  the  Grand  Canyon  at  Sunset. 

Studio  painting  by  F.  S.  Dellenbaugh,  in  the  possession  of  Prof.  A.  H.  Thompson,  who 
considers  it  the  best  representation  of  the  canyon  from  below  that  he  has  seen,  "the 
truest — far  better  than  any  photograph  because  more  comprehensive." 


2i8  The  Colorado  River 

hundred  feet,  often  vertical  on  one  or  the  other  side  at  the 
water,  and  even  in  the  upper  portions  extremely  precipitous. 
By  the  loth  they  had  reached  the  mouth  of  the  Little  Col- 
orado, where  White's  imagination  had  pictured  the  greatest 
terror  of  the  whole  river,  and  the  end  of  all  the  dangerous 
part.  The  walls  of  this  tributary  are,  as  is  usually  the  case, 
the  same  as  those  of  the  main  gorge,  but  the  stream  itself  was 
small,  muddy,  and  saline.  Powell  walked  up  it  three  or  four 
miles,  having  no  trouble  in  crossing  it  by  wading  when  desira- 
ble. He  called  the  new  gorge  now  before  him,  really  only  a 
continuation  of  the  one  ending  with  the  canyon  of  the  Little 
Colorado,  the  "Great  Unknown,"  and  a  party  some  twenty 
years  later,  emulating  the  early  Spaniards  in  the  art  of  forget- 
ting, called  it  the  same,  but  it  was  the  Great  Unknown  only 
once,  and  that  was  when  Powell  on  this  occasion  first  faced 
the  sublime,  unfathomed  depths  that  here  lay  in  his  course. 
Only  one  month's  rations  remained  as  a  reliance  in  this  terrible 
passage.  Powell  says:  "We  have  an  unknown  distance  yet  to 
run  ;  an  unknown  river  yet  to  explore.  What  falls  there  are 
we  know  not ;  what  rocks  beset  the  channel,  we  know  not ; 
what  walls  rise  over  the  river,  we  know  not.  .  .  .  The 
men  talk  as  cheerfully  as  ever;  jests  are  bandied  about  freely 
this  morning;  but  to  me  the  cheer  is  sombre  and  the  jests  are 
ghastly."  With  anxiety  and  much  misgiving  they  drifted 
on  between  mile-high  cliffs,  rising  terrace  on  terrace  to  the 
very  sky  itself.  Even  now,  when  the  dangers  are  known  and 
tested,  no  man  lives  who  can  enter  the  great  chasm  for  a 
voyage  to  the  other  end  without  feeling  anxiety  as  to  the 
result,  and  the  more  anxiety  he  feels,  the  more  probability 
there  is  that  he  will  pass  the  barriers  safely.  Running  rapids 
and  passing  falls  by  portages  and  let-downs,  they  met  no 
formidable  obstacle  till  August  14th,  when  they  ran  into  a 
granite  formation,  the  "First  Granite  Gorge."  While  the 
gorge  was  wide  above,  it  grew  narrower  as  the  river  level  was 
approached,  till  the  walls  were  closer  than  anywhere  farther 
up;  and  they  were  ragged  and  serrated.  They  had  noticed 
that  hard  rocks  had  produced  bad  river,  and  soft  rocks  smooth 
water;  now  they  were  in  a  series  of  rocks   harder   than   any 


2  20  The  Colorado  River 

before  encountered.  There  was  absolutely  no  way  of  telling- 
what  the  waters  miijht  do  in  such  a  formation,  which  ran  up 
till  a  thousand  feet  of  it  stood  above  their  heads,  supporting^ 
more  than  four  thousand  feet  more  of  sedimentary  rocks, 
makine  a  "^rand  total  of  between  five  thousand  and  six  thou- 
sand  feet.  The  same  day  on  which  they  entered  the  granite 
they  arrived,  after  running,  and  portaging  around,  several  bad 
rapids,  at  a  terrific  fall,  announced  by  a  loud  roar  like  the 
steady  boom  of  Niagara,  reverberating  back  and  forth  from 
wall  to  wall,  and  filling  the  whole  gorge  with  its  ominous  note. 
The  river  was  beaten  to  a  solid  sheet  of  reeling  foam  for  a  third 
of  a  mile.  There  was  but  one  choice,  but  one  path  for  the  boats, 
and  that  lay  through  the  midst  of  it,  for  on  each  side  the 
Vv-aves  pounded  violently  against  the  jagged  cliffs  which  so 
closely  hemmed  them  in.  Men  might  climb  up  to  the  top  of 
the  granite  and  find  their  way  around  the  obstruction,  one 
thousand  feet  above  it,  descending  again  a  mile  or  two  down, 
but  they  could  not  take  the  boats  over  such  a  road.  They 
must,  therefore,  run  the  place,  a  fall  of  about  eighty  feet  in  the 
third  of  a  mile,  or  give  up  the  descent.  So  they  got  into  their 
boats  and  started  on  the  smooth  waters,  so  soon  shattered 
into  raging  billows.  Though  filled  with  water,  the  boats  all 
rode  successfully  and  came  out  below  crowned  with  success. 

Often  a  rapid  is  greatly  augmented  by  enormous  boulders 
which  have  been  washed  into  the  river  from  some  side  canyon, 
and,  acting  like  a  dam,  block  the  water  up  and  cause  it  to  roar 
and  fret  tenfold  more.  Black  and  dismal  is  this  granite  gorge; 
sharp  and  terrible  the  rapids,  whose  sheeted  foam  becomes 
fairly  iridescent  by  contrast.  The  method  of  working  around 
some  of  the  worst  places  is  illustrated  well  by  the  following 
extract : 

"We  land  and  stop  for  an  hour  or  two  to  examine  the  fall.  It 
seems  possible  to  let  down  with  lines,  at  least  part  of  the  way, 
from  point  to  point,  along  the  right-hand  wall.  So  we  make  a 
portage  over  the  first  rocks,  and  find  footing  on  some  boulders  be- 
low. Then  we  let  down  one  of  the  boats  to  the  end  of  her  line,  when 
she  reaches  a  corner  of  the  projecting  rock,  to  which  one  of  the  men 


Method  of  Working  221 

clings  and  steadies  her,  while  I  examine  an  eddy  below.  I  think  we 
can  pass  the  other  boats  down  by  us,  and  catch  them  in  the  eddy. 
This  is  soon  done  and  the  men  in  the  boats  in  the  eddy  pull  us  to 
their  side.  On  the  shore  of  this  little  eddy  there  is  about  two  feet 
of  gravel  beach  above  water.  Standing  on  this  beach,  some  of  the 
men  take  a  line  of  the  little  boat  and  let  it  drift  down  against  an- 
other projecting  angle.  Here  is  a  little  shelf  on  which  a  man  from 
my  boat  climbs,  and  a  shorter  line  is  passed  to  him,  and  he  fastens 
the  boat  to  the  side  of  the  cliff.  Then  the  second  one  is  let  down, 
bringing  the  line  of  the  third.  When  the  second  boat  is  tied  up,  the 
two  men  standing  on  the  beach  above  spring  into  the  last  boat, 
which  is  pulled  up  alongside  ours.  Then  we  let  down  the  boats, 
for  twenty-five  or  thirty  yards,  by  walking  along  the  shelf,  landing 
them  again  in  the  mouth  of  a  side  canyon.  Just  below  this  there  is 
another  pile  of  boulders,  over  which  we  make  another  portage. 
From  the  foot  of  these  rocks  we  can  climb  to  another  shelf,  forty  or 
fifty  feet  above  the  water.  On  this  bench  we  camp  for  the  night. 
We  find  a  few  sticks,  which  have  lodged  in  the  rocks.  It  is  raining 
hard,  and  we  have  no  shelter,  but  kindle  a  fire  and  have  our  supper. 
We  sit  on  the  rocks  all  night,  wrapped  in  our  ponchos,  getting  what 
sleep  we  can." 

At  this  season  of  the  year  there  is  a  good  deal  of  cloudy  and 
rainy  weather  in  the  Grand  Canyon  region,  and  this  makes  the 
gorge  decidedly  gloomy  when  one  is  compelled  to  stay  in  it 
and  descend  the  river.  The  next  morning  with  two  hours  of 
similar  manoeuvring  the  rapid  was  passed.  The  same  day  they 
found  a  stretch  where  the  river  was  so  swift  the  boats  were 
tossed  from  side  to  side  like  feathers,  entirely  unmanageable. 
Here  they  met  with  another  rapid  and  two  of  the  boats  were 
in  such  a  position  they  could  not  escape  running  it.  But  they 
went  through  without  damage.  Then  the  third  crew  tried  to 
reach  land,  and  succeeded,  only  to  find  that  there  was  no  foot- 
hold. They  pushed  out  again,  to  be  overwhelmed  by  a  power- 
ful wave  which  filled  the  boat  full.  She  drifted  helpless  through 
several  breakers  and  one  of  these  capsized  her.  The  men 
hung  to  the  side,  the  only  thing  to  do  in  the  Colorado  unless 
one  has  on  a  life  preserver  (and  even  then  it  is  advisable),  as 
she  drifted  down  to  the  other  boats,  where  she  was  caught  and 


2  2  2 


The  Colorado  River 


righted.  It  has  always  seemed  strange  to  me  that  Powell  on 
this  crucial  expedition  did  not  provide  himself  and  his  men 
with  cork  life-jackets,  a  precaution  that  suggests  itself  imme- 
diately in  such  an  undertaking.  No  one  ought  ever  to  attempt 
a  descent  without  them. 

The  next  day  they  reached  a  clear  little  stream  coming  in 
through  a  deep  canyon  on  the  right,  and  because  they  had 
honoured  the  devil  by  conferring  his  name  on  a  river  higher 
up,  Powell  concluded  to  honour  the  good  spirits  by  calling  this 
Bright  /Vngel  River.      In   its  narrow  valley  ruined  foundations 


i:SS 


Bottom  of  the  Grand  Canyon. 

Looking  down  from  foot  of  Bright  Angel  Trail. 
Photograph  by  T.  Mitchell  Prudden. 


of  houses  and  fragments  of  pottery  were  discovered.  There 
were  also  indications  of  old  trails  by  which  the  builders  had 
made  their  way  about.  By  the  17th  of  August,  the  rations 
were  reduced  to  musty  flour  enough  for  ten  days,  a  few  dried 
apples,  and  plenty  of  coffee.  The  bacon  had  spoiled  and  was 
thrown  away.  Now  the  problem  of  food  was  a  paramount 
consideration.  Should  they  be  detained  by  many  bad  places 
they  might  be  forced  by  the  food  question  to  abandon  the 
river,  if  possible,  and  strike  for  the  Mormon  settlements  lying 
to  the  north.  The  barometers  were  rendered  useless,  so  that 
they  could  not  determine  the  altitude  to  see  what  proportion 


2  24  The  Colorado  River 

of  descent  still  remained  ahead.  They  hoped,  however,  that 
the  worst  was  behind.  They  now  carefully  divided  evenly 
among  the  boats  the  little  stock  of  flour,  so  that,  in  case  of 
disaster,  all  of  it  should  not  be  lost  at  once.  Notwithstanding 
all  the  difficulties  and  the  dark  outkjok,  Powell  never  failed  in 
his  wonderful  poise  of  mind  and  balance  of  nerve.  But  he 
was  anxious,  and  he  sang  sometimes  as  they  sailed  along  till 
the  men,  he  once  told  me,  he  believed  thought  he  had  gone 
crazy.  Of  course  the  singing  was  more  or  less  a  mask  for  his 
real  feelings. 

On  the  19th  the  pioneer  boat,  running  some  distance  ahead 
of  the  others,  was  again  upset  by  a  wave.  As  usual  the  men 
succeeded  in  clinging  to  the  upturned  craft,  the  closed  com- 
partments always  keeping  the  boat  afloat,  and  were  carried 
down  through  another  rapid.  The  companion  boats  were  de- 
tained by  whirlpools  and  could  not  quickly  go  to  the  rescue, 
but  when  they  finally  did  reach  the  Dean,  she  was  bailed  out,  the 
men  climbed  on  board  of  her  again,  and  they  all  went  on  with- 
out even  trying  to  land.  The  next  day,  in  one  hour,  they 
ran  on  a  wild  dashing  river  ten  miles  without  stopping,  and, 
what  was  to  them  most  important,  they  ran  out  of  the  granite. 
The  bright  colours  of  the  sedimentary  rocks  put  new  cheer 
into  them.  On  they  ran,  down  the  narrow  canyon,  now  about 
three  thousand  feet  deep,  always  on  swift  water,  but  for  a 
time  there  were  no  bad  rapids.  On  August  25th  they  reached 
a  fall  where  the  river  was  once  dammed  up  for  a  great  height 
by  an  overflow  of  lava  from  craters  on  and  near  the  brink. 
One  of  the  craters  was  plainly  visible  from  below.  The  canyon 
appeared  to  have  been  once  filled  by  the  lava  to  the  depth  of 
fifteen  hundred  feet.  They  named  the  descent  Lava  Falls  and 
made  a  portage.  Not  far  below  this  they  found  a  garden 
which  had  been  planted  by  the  Shewits  Pai  Utes  living  on  the 
plateau  above.  The  corn  was  not  ripe,  though  some  squashes 
were,  and  helping  themselves  to  a  few  of  these  they  ran  on  to 
a  comfortable  place  and  had  a  feast. 

So  well  did  they  now  get  on,  running  rapids  and  making  fine 
time,  that  they  began  to  look  forward  with  great  hope  to  a 
speedy  termination  of  the  canyon.      When  therefore  the  river 


The  Brink  of  Despair 


22 


took  an  unexpected  turn  towards  the  south  and  the  lower 
formations  once  more  began  to  appear,  till  the  black  granite, 
dreaded  and  feared,  closed  again  threateningly  about  them, 
they  were  considerably  disheartened.     At  the  very  beginning 


The  Grand  Canyon-Granite  Buttresses. 

Photograph  by  J.  K.  Hillers,  U.  S.  Colo.  Riv.  Exp. 


they  were  compelled  to  make  a  portage.  Then  the}-  reached 
a  place  which  appeared  worse  than  anything  they  had  yet  seen. 
This  was  partly  due  to  the  condition  of  the  men  and  it  was 
partly  a  fact.  They  could  discover  no  way  to  portage  or  to  let 
down,  and  Powell  believed  running  it  meant  certain  destruction. 


2  26  The  Colorado  River 

They  climbed  up  and  along  on  the  granite  for  a  mile  or  two, 
but  there  appeared  no  hope  for  success.  In  trying  to  se- 
cure an  advantageous  position  from  which  to  view  the  fall 
Powell  worked  himself  into  a  position  where  he  could  neither 
advance  nor  retreat.  His  situation  was  most  precarious.  The 
men  were  obliged  to  bring  oars  from  the  boats  four  hundred 
feet  below,  to  brace  into  the  rocks  in  order  to  get  him  safely 
back.  The  absence  of  his  right  arm  made  climbing  sometimes 
very  difficult  for  him.  This  was  on  the  side  opposite  their  first 
landing.  Descending,  they  recrossed  the  river  and  spent  the 
whole  afternoon  trying  to  decide  on  a  plan.  At  last  Powell 
reached  a  decision.  It  was  to  lower  the  boats  over  the  first 
portion,  a  fall  of  eighteen  or  twenty  feet,  then  hug  the  right 
cliff  to  a  point  just  abov^e  the  second  drop,  where  they  could 
enter  a  little  chute,  and  having  passed  this  point  they  were  to 
pull  directly  across  the  stream  to  avoid  a  dangerous  rock  below. 
He  told  the  men  his  intention  of  running  the  rapid  the  next 
morning,  and  they  all  crossed  the  river  once  more  to  a  landing 
where  it  was  possible  to  camp. 

New  and  serious  trouble  now  developed.  The  elder  How- 
land  remonstrated  with  Powell  against  proceeding  farther  by 
the  river  and  advised  the  abandonment  of  the  enterprise  alto- 
gether. At  any  rate,  he  and  his  brother  and  William  Dunn 
would  not  go  on  in  the  boats.  Powell  sat  up  that  night  plot- 
ting out  his  course  and  concluded  from  it  that  the  mouth  of 
the  Virgen  could  not  be  more  than  forty-five  miles  away  in  a 
straight  line.  Calculating  eighty  or  ninety  miles  by  the  river, 
and  allowing  for  the  open  country  he  knew  existed  below  the 
end  of  the  Grand  Canyon,  he  concluded  that  they  must  soon 
reach  the  mouth  and  be  able  to  find  the  Mormon  settlements 
about  twenty  miles  up  the  Virgen  River.  Then  he  awoke 
Howland  and  explained  the  situation,  and  they  talked  it  over. 
The  substance  of  this  talk  is  not  stated,  but  Howland  went  to 
sleep  again  while  Powell  paced  the  sand  till  dawn,  pondering 
on  the  best  course  to  take.  The  immediate  danger  of  the 
rapid  he  thought  could  be  overcome  with  safety,  but  what  was 
below?  To  climb  out  here,  even  were  it  possible,  was  to  reach 
the  edge  of  a  desert  with  the  nearest  Mormon  town  not  less 


Determination  227 

than  seventy-five  miles  distant,  across  an  unknown  country. 
So  heavily  did  this  situation  weigh  upon  him  that  he  almost 
concluded  to  abandon  the  river  and  try  the  chance  on  the  top, 
but  then  he  says:  "For  years  I  have  been  contemplating  this 
trip.  To  leave  the  exploration  unfinished,  to  say  that  there  is 
a  part  of  the  canyon  which  I  cannot  explore,  having  already 
almost  accomplished  it,  is  more  than  I  am  willing  to  acknow- 
ledge, and  I  determine  to  go  on. "  So  he  awoke  Walter  Powell 
and  explained  to  him  Rowland's  decision.  Walter  agreed  to 
stand  by  him,  and  so  did  Sumner,  Hawkins,  Bradley,  and  Hall. 
The  younger  Howland  wished  to  remain,  but  would  not 
desert  his  brother.  O.  G.  Howland  was  determined  to  leave 
the  river,  and  Dunn  was  with  him. 

I  have  never  met  any  of  the  men  of  this  party  except 
Powell  and  his  brother  Walter,  so  I  have  no  other  account  of 
the  affair  than  the  one  just  stated,  which  is  from  Powell's  Re- 
port, and  is  the  same  that  he  gave  me  orally  before  that  Report 
was  printed.  Walter  Powell  never  mentioned  the  subject,  or 
in  any  way  suggested  to  me  that  there  was  anything  behind 
the  version  of  Powell.  But  others  have.  They  have  said  that 
the  real  cause  of  the  break  was  an  incompatibility  between 
Powell  and  the  elder  Howland.  It  is  quite  possible  that 
Powell  may  have  discovered  Howland  pci'sona  iion  grata,  but 
had  this  been  as  serious  as  some  have  said,  Howland  would 
not  have  waited,  it  seems  to  me,  till  they  came  to  a  particularly 
bad-looking  place  to  take  his  departure.  At  any  rate,  that 
was  a  long  night  for  Powell,  and  whatever  the  main  cause  of 
Rowland's  leaving  was,  it  was  a  trying  ordeal  for  the  leader. 
Rowland's  obligation  certainly  was  to  go  on  as  if  he  were  an 
enlisted  soldier,  and  he  evidently  failed  in  this  dut}'.  When 
daylight  finally  came  a  solemn  breakfast  was  prepared  and 
eaten.  No  one  had  much  heart.  The  river  was  then  crossed 
again  to  the  north  side.  The  decision  of  the  three  men  to 
leave  rendered  one  boat  useless,  and  the  poorest,  the  Dean, 
which  was  a  pine  boat,  was  left  behind.  Two  rifles  and  a  shot- 
gun were  given  to  the  men  who  were  leaving,  but  their  share 
of  the  rations  they  refused  to  take,  being  sure  they  could 
secure  all  the  game   they  required.      Their  calculations  were 


2  28  The  Colorado  River 

correct  enough,  and  they  would  have  arrived  at  the  settlements 
had  not  an  unforeseen  circumstance  prevented.  When  the 
river  party  were  ready  to  start  the  three  deserters  helped  lift 
the  two  boats  over  a  high  rock  and  down  past  the  first  fall. 
Then  they  parted.  Powell  wrote  a  letter  to  his  wife  which 
Rowland  took,  Sumner  gave  him  his  watch  with  directions 
that  it  be  sent  to  his  sister  in  the  event  of  the  river  party  being 
annihilated,  and  the  duplicate  records  of  the  trip  were  sepa- 
rated, one  set  being  given  to  Rowland,  who  at  the  last  begged 
them  not  to  go  on  down  the  river,  assuring  them  that  a  few 
miles  more  of  such  river  as  that  now  ahead  of  them  would 
consume  the  last  of  the  scant  rations  and  then  it  would  be  too 
late  to  try  to  escape.  In  fact  each  party  thought  the  other 
was  taking  the  more  desperate  chance.  By  a  mistake  the 
■duplicate  records  were  wrongly  divided,  each  party  having 
portions  of  both  sets.  This  afterwards  made  gaps  in  the  river 
•data  below  the  Paria  as  far  as  Catastrophe  Rapid.  Powell  en- 
tered the  Maid  of  the  Canyon  and  pulled  away  while  the  depart- 
ing men  stood  on  an  overhanging  crag  looking  on.  Roth  boats 
succeeded  in  going  through  without  accident,  and  it  was  then 
apparent  that  the  place  was  not  so  bad  as  it  looked  and  that 
they  had  run  many  that  were  worse.  Down  below  it  they 
waited  for  a  couple  of  hours  hoping  the  men  would  change  their 
minds,  take  the  Dean,  and  come  on.  But  they  were  never  seen 
again  by  white  men.  They  climbed  up  the  mighty  cliffs  to  the 
summit  of  the  Shewits  Plateau,  about  fifty-five  hundred  feet, 
and  that  it  is  a  hard  climb  I  can  testify,  for  I  climbed  down 
and  back  not  far  above  this  point.  At  length  they  were  out 
of  the  canyon,  and  they  must  have  rejoiced  at  leaving  those 
gloomy  depths  behind.  Northward  they  went,  to  a  large  water- 
pocket,  a  favourite  camping-ground  of  the  Shewits,  a  basin  in 
the  rocky  channel  of  an  intermittent  stream,  discharging  into 
the  Colorado.  The  only  story  of  their  fate  was  obtained  from 
these  Utes.  Jacob  Hamblin  of  Kanab  learned  it  from  some 
other  Utes  and  afterwards  got  the  story  from  them.  They 
received  the  men  at  their  camp  and  gave  them  food.  During 
the  night  some  of  the  band  came  in  from  the  north  and  re- 
ported certain  outrages  by  miners  in  that  country.      It  was  at 


Ambush  Water-pocket 


229 


once  concluded  that  these  whites  were  the  culprits  and  that 
they  never  came  down  the  Colorado  as  they  claimed.  In  the 
morning,   therefore,   a  number    secreted    themselves  near  the 


Tile  liaaket  Maker. 

Old  woman  of  the  Kaibab  Pai  Utes.     Behind  is  the  typical  Pai  Ute  dwelling  of  boughs 

and  brush.     The  dwellings  of  the  Shewits  are  similar. 

Photograph  by  J.  K.  Hillers,  U.  S.  Colo.  Riv.  Exp. 

edge  of  the  water-pocket.  The  trail  to  the  water  leads  down 
under  a  basaltic  cliff  perhaps  thirty  or  forty  feet  high,  as  I  re- 
member the  spot,  which  I  visited  about  six  years  later.  As 
the   unfortunate  men   turned  to   come   up   from   filling  their 


230  The  Colorado  River 

canteens,  they  were  shot  down  from  ambush.  In  consequence 
I  have  called  this  the  Ambush  Water-pocket.'  The  guns, 
clothing,  etc.,  were  appropriated  by  the  Shewits,  and  I  believ^e 
it  was  through  one  of  the  watches  that  the  facts  first  leaked 
out.  I  have  always  had  a  lurking  suspicion  that  the  Shewits 
were  glad  of  an  excuse  (if  they  had  one  at  the  time)  for  killing 
the  men.  When  I  was  there  they  were  in  an  ugly  mood  and 
the  night  before  I  got  to  the  camp  my  guide,  a  Uinkaret,  and 
a  good  fellow,  warned  me  to  be  constantly  on  my  guard  or 
they  would  steal  all  we  had.  There  were  three  of  us,  and 
probably  we  were  among  the  first  whites  to  go  there.  Powell 
the  autumn  after  the  men  were  killed  went  to  the  Uinkaret 
Mountains,  but  did  not  continue  over  to  the  Shewits  Plateau. 
Thompson  went  there  in  1872. 

Meanwhile  the  boat  party  dashed  safely  on  through  a  suc- 
cession of  rapids  till  noon,  when  they  arrived  at  another  very 
bad  place.  In  working  through  this  by  means  of  lines,  Brad- 
ley was  let  down  in  one  of  the  boats  to  fend  her  off  the  rocks, 
and  finding  himself  in  a  serious  predicament  started  to  cut  the 
line,  when  the  stem  of  the  boat  pulled  away  and  he  shot  down 
alone.  He  was  a  powerful  man,  and  snatching  up  the  steer- 
ing oar,  with  several  strong  strokes  he  put  her  head  down 
stream  and  immediately  boat  and  all  disappeared  amidst  the 
foaming  breakers.  But  he  came  out  unharmed,  and  in  time  to 
render  service  to  Powell's  boat,  which  was  badh^  shaken  up  in 
the  passage.  The  other  men  of  Bradley's  boat,  left  behind, 
were  obliged  to  make  a  long  and  difificult  climb  before  they 
were  able  to  rejoin  their  craft.  By  night  they  had  run  entirely 
out  of  the  granite,  and  at  noon  the  next  day,  without  encoun- 
tering any  more  serious  trouble,  they  emerged  at  last  from  the 
depths  of  the  giant  chasm.  They  were  at  the  mouth  of  the 
Grand  Wash.  The  Dragon  of  Waters  w^as  vanquished.  Not 
that  the  Dragon  would  not  fight  again  just  as  before,  but 
those  who  attacked  him  in  future  would  understand  his  temper. 

Below  this  point  Powell  was  guided  by  a  manuscript  jour- 

'  I  have  since  been  told  that  these  men  were  killed  near  Mt.  Dellenbaugh,  but 
my  version  is  as  I  remember  Jacob  Hamblin's  statement  to  me  in  1S72.  He  was 
the  first  to  get  the  story. 


End  of  the  Voyage 


2^1 


nal  which  Jacob  Hamblin  and  two  other  Mormons,  Miller  and 
Crosby,  had  kept  on  a  boat  journey  a  few  years  earlier  from 
the  Grand  Wash  to  Callville.  Ives  and  others  havin^^  been  up 
to  Callville,  the  exploration  of  the  Colorado  was  now  com- 
plete. There  was  no  part  of  it  unknown  ;  and  Powell's  feat  in 
descending  through  the  long  series  of  difficult  canyons  stands 
unrivalled  in  the  annals  of  exploration  on  this  continent. 
"The  relief  from  danger  and  the  joy  of  success  are  great,"  he 
writes.     "  Ever  before  us  has  been  an  unknown  danger,  heavier 


Brother  fielder's  —  Virgen  City. 

A  typical  fnjntier  Mormon  home. 
Photograph  by  U.  S.  Geol.  Survey. 

than  immediate  peril.  Every  waking  hour  passed  in  the  Grand 
Canyon  has  been  one  of  toil."  His  chief  concern  now  was  the 
fate  of  the  men  who  had  deserted  him,  but  this  was  not  revealed 
till  the  next  year.  Had  they  remained  with  the  others,  they 
probably  would  have  gone  safely  through,  but  had  they  died, 
it  would  have  been  properly  and  gloriously,  in  the  battle  with 


-J- 


The  Colorado  River 


the  fierce  river.  In  the  history  of  expeditions,  it  is  usually 
those  who  depart  from  the  orij^inal  plan  who  suffer  most,  for 
this  plan  is  t;enerally  well  considered  beforehand,  whereas  any 
subsequent  change  is  mainly  based  on  error  or  fear.  Running 
on  through  a  couple  of  small  canyons,  they  discovered  on  the 
bank  some  Pai  Utes,  who  ran  away,  but  a  little  farther  down 
they  came  to  another  camp  where  several  did  not  run.  Nothing 
could  be  learned  from  them  about  the  whites,  yet  a  short  dis- 
tance below  this  they  came  upon  three  white  men  and  a  native 
hauling  a  seine.  They  had  reached  the  goal!  It  was  the 
mouth  of  the  Virgen  Ri\er!  The  men  in  the  boat  had  heard 
that  the  whole  party  was  lost  and  were  on  the  lookout  for 
wreckage.  They  were  a  father  and  his  sons,  named  Asa,  Mor- 
mons from  a  town  about  twenty  miles  up  the  Virgen.  The 
total  stock  of  food  left  the  explorers  was  ten  pounds  of  flour, 
fifteen  of  dried  apples,  and  about  seventy  of  coffee.  Powell 
and  his  brother  here  said  farewell  to  their  companions  of  the 
long  and  perilous  journey.  They  went  to  the  Mormon  settle- 
ments, while  the  others  continued  down  the  river  in  the  boats 
to  Yuma  where  Hawkins  and  Bradley  left.  Sumner  and  Hall 
continued  to  the  Gulf  which  they  reached  before  the  end  of 
September. 

This  expedition,  by  hard  labour,  with  good  boats  had,  ac- 
complished in  about  thirty  working  days  the  distance  from  the 
mouth  of  Grand  River  down,  while  White  claimed  to  have 
done  it  on  a  clumsy  raft  in  eleven !  And  where  White  pro- 
fessed to  find  smooth  sailing  in  his  imaginary  voyage,  Powell 
had  discovered  the  most  dangerous  river  of  all. 

Of  his  companions  on  this  extraordinary  journey,  Powell 
says-  "I  was  a  maimed  man,  my  right  arm  was  gone;  and 
these  brave  men,  these  good  men,  never  forgot  it.  In  every 
danger  my  safety  was  their  first  care,  and  in  every  waking  hour 
some  kind  service  was  rendered  me,  and  they  transfigured  my 
misfortune  into  a  boon." 


CHAPTER    X 

Powell's  Second  Attack  on  the  Colorado — Green  River  City — Red  Canyon  and  a 
Capsize — The  Grave  of  Hook — The  Gate  of  Lodore — Cliff  of  the  Harp — 
Triplet  Falls  and  Hell's  Half-Mile— A  Rest  in  Echo  Park. 


THOUGH  Powell  had  demonstrated  the  possibility  of  pass- 
ing alive  through  the  thousand-mile  stretch  of  canyons 
on  the  Green  and  Colorado,  the  scientific  results  of  his  hazard- 
ous voyage  were  not  what  he  had  desired.  Owing  to  the 
numerous  disasters  many  of  the  instruments  had  been  lost, 
and  he  had  been  prevented  by  this,  as  well  as  by  other  circum- 
stances, from  fully  accomplishing  his  intention.  On  this  ac- 
count he  concluded  to  continue  his  labours  in  this  direction, 
and  determined  to  make  another  descent  if  he  could  secure 
the  pecuniary  aid  of  the  Government.  His  application  was 
favourably  considered,  as  it  certainly  deserved  to  be,  and  Con- 
gress appropriated  a  sum  for  a  second  expedition  that  should 
also  examine  the  adjacent  country  for  a  distance  of  twelve 
miles  on  each  side  of  the  river.  To  insure  certainty  of  food 
supplies  for  the  continuance  of  the  work,  Powell  visited  the 
region  in  1870  for  the  purpose  of  examining  the  feasibility  of 
having  rations  taken  in  by  pack-trains  at  several  points.  He 
concluded  this  could  be  done  at  the  mouth  of  the  Uinta  River, 
at  the  mouth  of  the  Dirty  Devil,  at  the  Ute  Ford  or  Crossing 
of  the  Fathers,  and  at  the  mouth  of  the  Paria,  where  he  ex- 
pected to  retire  from  the  river  for  the  winter,  to  conduct 
explorations  in  the  surrounding  mountains.  It  was  on  this 
occasion  that  he  went  to  the  Uinkaret  Mountains  (September, 
1870)  and  investigated  the  cause  of  the  disappearance  of  the 

233 


^34 


The  Colorado  River 


Howlandsand  Dunn.  Returning  then  to  Kanab,  at  that  tune 
the  farthest  frontier  settlement  of  the  Mormons,  he  visited 
the  Moki  Towns,  across  the  Colorado,  and  went  back  to  the 
East  to  finish  his  preparations.  In  the  winter  of  1871-72 
Congress  made  an  additional  appropriation  for  this  expedi- 
tion. The  supervision  was  vested  in  that  noble  character, 
Joseph  Henry,  then  Secretary  of  the  Smithsonian  Institution. 


r-^;JW.  ■■"; 


J.-'.-;.  I'U-r  btdtijii,  U.  P.  Ry.,  Wyoming,  1871. 
Starting  point  of  the  two  Powell  expeditions. 


Professor  Henry  was  entirely  favourable  and  sympathetic,  and 
his  approval  was  of  the  highest  value.  He  secured  some  in- 
struments for  the  work  and  lent  his  aid  in  every  possible  man- 
ner. A  privilege  of  drawing  rations  at  the  Western  army  posts 
was  also  again  granted,  and  this  saved  a  great  deal  of  expense. 
Through  a  friend  who  was  an  old  army  acquaintance  of 
Powell's  I  secured  an  interview  in  Chicago,  whither  I  went  for 


The  Boats 


235 


the  purpose.  Its  character  was  a  good  illustration  of  the  ex- 
plorer's quick  decision.  As  I  advanced  towards  him  he  rose 
to  his  feet,  surveyed  me  with  a  lightning  glance,  and  said 
heartily,  "Well,  Fred,  you  '11  do."  These  words  constituted 
me  a  member  of  his  party,  and  I  began  my  preparations  forth- 


V  ■. 


liitaii,  J.ines,  Strwani,  W.  C.  !■■    ■  .    :,     I:         .     . 
Dellenbaugh,  Bishop. 
Our  First  Camp,  Green  River,  Wyoming. 
U.  S.  Colorado  River  Expedition,  1871. 
The  borrowed  table  was,  of  course,  left  behind.     Photograph  by  E.  O.  Be.^man. 


with.      Dozens  of  men  applied  to  join  the  expedition,  but  no 
more  were  taken,  the  party  being  now  full. 

The  boats  for  this  trip  were  modelled  on  those  used  on  the 
former  descent,  with  such  changes  and  improvements  as  ex- 
perience had  suggested.     They  were  honestly  and  thoroughly 


2^6  The  Colorado  River 


■J 


constructed  by  a  builder  named  Bagley,  who  had  a  yard  where 
he  turned  out  small  craft,  at  the  north  end  of  the  old  Clark 
Street  bridge,  and  we  often  felt  a  sense  of  gratitude  to  him  for 
doing  his  work  so  well.  They  were  three  in  number,  of  well- 
seasoned,  clear-grained,  half-inch  oak,  smooth-built,  double- 
ribbed  fore  and  aft,  square-sterned,  and  all  practically  the  same, 
the  former  trip  having  shown  the  needlessness  of  taking  any 
smaller  or  frailer  boat  for  piloting  purposes.  These  were  each 
twenty-two  feet  long  over  all,  and  about  twenty  on  the  keel. 
They  were  rather  narrow  for  their  length,  but  quite  deep  for 
boats  of  their  size,  drawing,  if  I  remember  correctly,  when  fully 
laden,  some  fourteen  or  sixteen  inches  of  water.  This  depth 
made  it  possible  to  carry  a  heavy  load,  which  was  necessary,  and 
at  the  same  time  which  acted  as  ballast  to  keep  them  right  side 
up  amidst  the  counter-currents  and  tumbling  waters.  A  rudder 
being  entirely  out  of  place  in  the  kind  of  navigation  found  in 
the  canyons,  a  heavy  rowlock  was  placed  at  the  stern  to  hold 
a  strong,  eighteen-foot  steering  oar.  The  boats  were  entirely 
decked  over  on  a  level  with  the  gunwales,  excepting  two  open 
spaces  left  for  the  rowers.  These  open  spaces,  or  standing- 
rooms,  w^ere  separated  from  the  decked  portions  by  bulkheads, 
thus  forming  under  the  decks  three  water-tight  compartments 
or  cabins,  that  would  not  only  protect  the  cargoes  and  prevent 
loss  in  the  event  of  capsize,  but  would  also  serve  to  keep  the 
boats  afloat  when  loaded  and  full  of  water  in  the  open  parts. 
The  rowlocks  were  of  iron,  of  the  pattern  that  comes  close 
together  at  the  top,  so  that  an  oar  must  either  be  slipped 
through  from  the  handle  end  or  drawn  up  toward  the  thin  part 
above  the  blade  to  get  it  out.  By  attaching  near  the  handle  a 
rim  of  hard  leather,  there  was  no  way  for  the  oar  to  come  out 
accidentally,  and  so  w^ell  did  this  arrangement  work  that  in  a 
capsize  the  oars  remained  in  the  rowlocks.  To  any  one  wish- 
ing to  try  the  descent  of  the  Colorado,  I  commend  these  boats- 
as  being  perhaps  as  well  adapted  to  the  w^ork  as  any  that  can 
be  devised ;  though  perhaps  a  pointed  stern  would  be  an  im- 
provement. Iron  construction  is  not  advisable,  as  it  is  difficult 
to  repair. 

When  I  went  the  first  time  to  look  at  the  boats  lying  on 


A  Trial  Trip 


237 


Bagley's  wharf,  their  ominous  porpoise-Hke  appearance  gave 
me  a  pecuhar  sensation.  I  had  expected  rough-water,  but  this 
was  the  first  understanding  I  had  that  the  journey  was  to  be 
more  or  less  amphibian.  On  a  day  when  the  waves  on  Lake 
Michigan  were  running  high  we  took  them  out  for  trial.  The 
crews  were  filled  out  by  Bagley's  men,  our  party  not  all  being 
present,  and  with  some  reporters  and  a  cargo  of  champagne 
and  cigars  our  course  was  laid  for  the  open  sea.  The  action 
of  the  boats  was  all  that  could  be  desired,  and,  in  the  great 
billow^s  it  was  so  constant  that  our  reportorial  friends  found 


The  Boats  of  Powell's  Second  Expedition  on  the  Beach  at  Green  River,  Wyoming. 
Photograph  by  E.  O.  Beaman,  U.  S.  Colo.  Riv.  Exp. 


some  difficulty  in  obtaining  their  share  of  the  refreshments. 
We  were  satisfied  that  the  boats  could  ride  any  sea,  and  they 
were  accordingly  placed  on  a  car  and  sent  by  way  of  the 
Chicago,  Burlington,  and  Quincy  and  the  Union  Pacific  rail- 
ways to  Green  River  Station.  These  companies  charged 
nothing  for  this  service  and  also  transported  all  the  men  and 
baggage  on  the  same  terms.  On  the  29th  of  April  we  alighted 
at  Green  River  and  found  the  boats  already  there.  This  place, 
when  the  railway  was  building,  had  been  for  a  considerable 
time  the  terminus,  and  a  town  of  respectable  proportions  had 


238 


The  Colorado  Riv^er 


grown  up,  but  with  the  completion  of  the  road  through  this 
region,  the  terminus  had  moved  on,  and  now  all  that  was  to 
be  seen  of  those  golden  days  was  a  group  of  adobe  walls,  roof- 
less and  forlorn.  The  present ' '  city"  consisted  of  about  thirteen 
houses,  and  some  of  these  were  of  such  complex  construction 
that  one  hesitates  whether  to  describe  them  as  houses  with  can- 
vas roofs,  or  tents  with  board  sides.  The  population  consisted 
of  a  few  whites,  a  number  of  Chinese  railway  labourers,  an  occa- 
sional straggling  miner,  native,  or  cattleman,  and  last  but  not 
least,  at  the  small  railway-station  eating-house,  honoured  by 
the  patronage  of  emigrant-trains,  his  highness  Ah  Chug,  the 


Ruins  of  Green  River  Terminus 

Photograph  by  E    O    Beaman.  U    S   Colo    Riv    Exp 


cook,  whose  dried-apple  pies,  at  twenty-five  cents  apiece,  I 
have  never  ceased  to  enjoy,  for  they  were  the  ladder  by  which 
I  was  able  to  descend  from  a  home  table  to  the  camp  fare  of 
bacon  and  beans,  I  then  despised  these  ruder  viands,  but  now 
I  desire  to  pay  my  tribute  to  them  by  saying  that  as  a  basis 
for  campaigning  they  are  the  very  best.  In  hot  weather  you 
eat  more  beans  and  less  bacon,  and  when  the  weather  is  cold 
your  diet  is  easily  arranged  in  the  reverse  order. 

The  boats  were  speedily  launched  upon  the  swift  current  at 
the  bridge  and  steered  down  to  a  little  cove  on  the  left,  a  few 
hundred  yards  below,  where  they  were  hauled  out  on  a  beach 


Andy's  Skill  239 

to  give  them  the  finishing  touches  of  preparation,  like  attach- 
ing canvas  covers  to  the  cabins,  and  so  forth.  Nearby,  amongst 
the  willows,  we  established  our  first  camp — a  place  of  real 
luxury,  for  Mr.  Field,  who  had  an  outfitting  house  here,  lent 
us  a  table  and  two  benches.  Andy  set  up  some  crotches  and 
a  cross-bar,  to  hang  his  kettles  on,  and  with  a  cast-iron  bake 
oven — one  of  the  kind  like  a  flat,  iron  pot,  in  which,  after  it  is 
stood  upon  a  bed  of  hot  coals,  the  bread  is  placed,  and  then 
the  cast-iron  cover  is  put  on,  and  laden  with  hot  coals — began 
his  experiments  in  cookery,  for  it  was  a  new  art  to  him.  In  the 
beginning  he  was  rather  too  liberal  with  his  salaratus,  but  the 
product  gave  us  the  pleasant  delusion  of  having  reached  a  land 
of  gold  nuggets.  Andy  soon  improved,  and  we  learned  to  ap- 
preciate his  rare  skill  to  such  an  extent  that  the  moment  he 
took  his  old  hat  and  with  it  lifted  the  coffee-pot  off  the  fire, 
and  then  placed  beside  it  the  bread  and  bacon  with  the  pleas- 
ing remark:  "Well,  now,  go  fur  it,  boys!"  we  lost  not  a 
moment  in  accepting  the  invitation.  As  bread  must  be  made 
for  every  meal,  Andy's  was  no  easy  berth,  for  his  work  on 
the  river  was  the  same  as  that  of  the  rest  of  us.  It  was  only 
when  we  were  engaged  in  a  portage  near  dinner  or  supper  time 
that  he  was  permitted  to  devote  his  entire  attention  to  the 
preparation  of  our  elaborate  meals.  Bean  soup,  such  as  Andy 
made,  is  one  of  the  most  delicious  things  in  the  world;  and 
Delmonico  could  not  hold  a  candle  to  his  coffee. 

Our  three  boats  bore  the  names  Emuia  Dean,  after  Mrs. 
Powell,  Nellie Poivcll,  after  Major  Powell's  sister,  Mrs.  Thomp- 
son, and  Canonita.  The  men  and  their  assignment  to  the 
boats  were  these:  J,  W.  Powell,  S.  V.  Jones,  J,  K.  Killers, 
F.  S.  Dellenbaugh— the  i5";//;//rt  Z>r<^;/ ;  A.  H.  Thompson,  J. 
F.  Steward,  F.  M.  Bishop,  F.  C.  A.  Richardson— the  Nellie 
Poxvell;  E.  O.  Beaman,  W.  C.  Powell,  A.  J.  Rattan— the 
Cafwnita, 

Jones  had  been  a  teacher  in  Illinois.  He  w^ent  as  a  topo- 
grapher. Hillers  was  a  soldier  in  the  Civil  War,  and  was  at 
first  not  specially  assigned,  but  later,  when  the  photographer 
gave  out,  he  was  directed  to  assist  in  that  branch,  and  eventu- 
ally became  head  photographer,  a  position  he  aftenvards  held 


240  The  Colorado  River 

with  the  Geolo<^ical  Survey  for  many  years.  A  hirge  number 
of  the  photographs  from  which  this  vokime  is  ilkistrated  were 
taken  by  liim  and  they  speak  for  themselves.  Thompson  was 
from  IIHnois.  He  also  had  been  a  soldier  in  the  war,  and  on 
this  expedition  was  Powell's  colleague,  as  well  as  the  geo- 
grapher. To  his  foresight,  rare  good  judgment,  ability  to  think 
out  a  plan  to  the  last  minute  detail,  fine  nerve  and  absolute 
lack  of  any  kind  of  foolishness,  together  with  a  wide  knowledge 
and  intelligence,  this  expedition,  and  indeed  the  scientific  w^ork 
so  admirably  carried  on  by  the  United  States  Survey  of  the 
Rocky  Mountain  region  and  the  Geological  Survey  for  three 
decades  in  the  Far  West,  largely  owe  success.  Steward  was 
an  old  soldier,  was  from  Illinois,  and  went  with  us  as  geologist, 
assisting  Powell  himself  in  this  line.  Bishop  had  been  a  captain 
in  the  war,  had  been  shot  through  and  through  the  left  lung, 
and  was  an  enthusiast  in  Western  exploration.  He  w^as  one  of 
the  topographers.  Richardson  was  from  Chicago  and  was  gen- 
eral assistant  to  the  geologists  and  topographers.  Beaman  was 
from  New  York.  He  was  photographer;  and  W.  C.  Powell, 
from  Illinois,  and  a  nephew  of  Major  Powell,  was  his  assistant. 
Hattan  was  a  Virginian,  but  had  lived  long  in  Illinois.  He 
had  been  a  soldier  in  the  war,  and  went  with  us  as  cook,  be- 
cause he  wanted  the  trip,  and  there  was  no  other  post  open  to 
him.  I  hailed  from  Ikiffalo,  was  the  youngest  of  the  party, 
and  served  as  artist  to  the  geologists,  and  later  was  placed  on 
the  topographical  work.  Mrs.  Powell  and  Mrs.  Thompson 
spent  several  days  at  Green  River  and  rendered  much  assist- 
ance, the  latter  presenting  each  boat  with  a  handsome  flag 
made  by  her  own  hands. 

An  arm-chair  obtained  from  Field  was  arranged  so  that  it 
could  be  strapped  on  the  deck  of  the  middle  cabin  of  our  boat, 
as  a  seat  for  Powell,  to  enable  him  to  be  comfortable  and  at  the 
same  time  see  well  ahead.  This  had  a  tendency  to  make  the 
Dean  slightly  top-heavy,  but  only  once  did  serious  consequences 
apparently  result  from  it,  and  I  am  not  sure  that  the  absence 
of  the  high  load  would  have  made  any  difference.  Though 
Powell  had  descended  before,  he  could  not  remember  every 
detail   and    kept    a   sharp  lookout  always.      The  provisions^ 


Almon  Harris  Thompson. 

Powell's  colleague  in  the  second   descent  of  the  Colorado  and  subsequent  work.      For 
over  thirty  years  prominently  connected  with  United   States  survey  work  in  the  basin  of 
the  Colorado  and  adjacent  country,  and  in  the  Eastern  States.      Died  July  31st,  igc6. 
Photograph  by  Clinedinst,  Washington,  1902. 


16 


242 


The  Colorado  River 


everything,  in  fact,  except  tlic  bacon,  which  was  too  greasy — 
were  put  in  rubber  sacks  that,  when  closed,  were  absolutely 
water-tight.  These  bags  were  encased  in  cotton  sacks  and 
gunny  bags  to  protect  the  rubber.  Each  man  was  allowed  one 
hundred  pounds  of  baggage,  including  his  blankets,  and  was 
gi\en  two  rubber  bags  to  stow  it  in.  When  the  time  came  to 
load  up  we  found  we  had  a  formidable  i)ile  of  things  that  must 
go.  The  photographic  apparatus  was  particularly  bulky,  for 
neither  the  dry-plate  nor  film  had  yet  been  invented.      The 


Ready  tur  the  Start,  U.  S.  Colorado  River  Expedition,  Green  River, 

Wyoming,  1871. 

Photograph  by  E.  O.  Beaman. 


scientific  instruments  were  also  bulky,  being  in  wooden,  canvas- 
covered  cases;  and  there  were  eleven  hundred  pounds  of  flour 
in  twenty-two  i  ubber  sacks. 

On  the  22d  of  May,  1871,  all  being  ready,  and  the  boats 
finally  packed,  we  prepared  to  push  off.  To  save  time,  break- 
fast was  taken  at  Field's  place,  which,  owing  to  the  kindness 
of  himself  and  his  charming  family,  had  seemed  very  much  like 
home  to  us.  Then  the  populace  to  the  number  of  about  fifteen 
— the  Chinamen  refusing  to  countenance  any  outfit  harbouring 
such  a  terrible  engine  of  the  devil  as  a  photographic  apparatus 


Portraits  of  All  but  Two  Members  of  the  Boat  Party  of  the  U.  S.  Colorado  River 
Expedition  of  1871. 

The  others  were  E.  O.  Beaman  and  Andrew  J.  Hattan.  In  187 1  Messrs  Bishop.  Steward, 
and  Beaman  were  obliged  to  leave  on  account  of  ill  health,  and  did  not  enter  the  Grand 
Canyon.  These  portraits  were  taken  within  a  year  or  two  after  the  expedition,  that  of 
Mr.  Hillers  on  a  hasty  visit  to  Salt  Lake. 

243 


244  The  Colorado  River 

— assembled  on  the  beach  to  give  us  God-speed.  The  cheer- 
ful conception  of  this  service  on  the  part  of  a  deaf-mute  was 
to  fill  the  air  with  violent  gestures  to  indicate — and  it  was  vivid 
enough — that  we  could  not  possibly  escape  destruction.  One 
of  his  series  represented  with  uncomfortable  clearness  a  drown- 
ing man  vainly  striving  to  climb  up  a  vertical  wall.  This  pan- 
tomime was  the  last  thing  I  saw  from  my  position  at  the  oars 
as  we  turned  a  bend  and  left  the  "city"  behind. 

We  were  much  better  provided  for  than  the  first  party. 
We  had  a  guide,  our  boats  were  superior,  our  plan  for  supplies 
was  immeasurably  better,  both  as  to  caring  for  what  we  took 
along  and  what  we  were  to  receive  at  the  several  indicated 
places — mouth  of  the  Uinta,  mouth  of  the  Dirty  Devil,  Cross- 
ing of  the  Fathers,  and  the  Paria.  We  also  had  rubber  life- 
preservers  to  inflate  at  the  more  dangerous  points.  Mine  did 
me  little  good,  as  I  soon  found  it  was  in  my  way  and  I  never 
wore  it;  nor  did  Hillers  wear  his.  As  we  handled  the  oars  of 
our  boat  we  concluded  it  would  be  safer  to  do  it  in  the  best 
manner  possible,  and  not  be  encumbered  by  these  sausages 
under  our  elbows,  but  we  always  placed  them  behind  us  at  bad 
places,  ready  for  use ;  all  the  others,  however,  wore  theirs  and 
seemed  to  find  no  objection  to  them  in  the  way  of  inter- 
ference. A  cork  jacket  could  be  worn  easier  when  rowing, 
and  I  would  recommend  it,  but  the  thing  of  first  importance 
is  to  have  the  riglit  kind  of  boats,  and  know  how  to  handle 
them.  An  humble  spirit  is  also  a  great  safeguard.  After 
starting,  the  usual  number  of  slight  accidents  occurred, 
but  there  was  nothing  to  interfere  with  our  steady  progress 
into  the  silent,  lonely  land,  where  the  great  Dragon,  whose 
tail  we  were  now  just  touching,  tore  the  air  to  tatters  with  his 
writhings.  Our  light  oars  were  snapped  like  reeds,  but  luckily 
we  had  plenty  of  extras,  and  some  ten-foot  ones  were  cut 
down  to  eight,  and  these  proved  to  be  strong  enough.  On 
the  morning  of  the  23d  we  were  treated  to  a  snow-storm  and 
the  air  was  very  cold.  It  soon  cleared,  however;  and  the  sun 
shone  again  bright  and  warm,  and  we  went  on  rejoicing.  The 
next  day  we  reached  the  mouth  of  Black's  Fork,  and  after  this 
the  river  was  deeper  and  we  were  less  troubled  by  grounding, 


The  Uinta  Range 


245 


the  boats  being  only  three  inches  out  of  water  at  the  gun- 
wales. The  area  between  Black's  Fork  and  the  Green  was 
strewn  with  beautiful  moss-agates.  I  longed  to  secure  a 
quantity,  but  this  was  out  of  the  question.  Geese  and  ducks 
floated  on  the  water  around  us,  but  with  our  rifles  it  was  diffi- 
cult to  get  any.  There  was  not  a  shot-gun  in  the  party.  We 
soon  came  in  sight  of  the  superb  snow-covered  Uinta  range, 
extending  east  and  west  across  the  land,  and  apparently  an 
effectual  barrier  to  any  progress  of  the  river  in  that  direction, 
but  every  day  we  drew  nearer  to  it.      Some  of  our  men  shot 


Green  River  Valley.     Camp  at  Tilted  Ledge  near  Henry's  Fork. 
Photograph  by  E.  O.  Beaman,  U.  S.  Colo.  Riv.  Exp. 


three  deer,  and  we  had  fresh  meat  for  a  day  or  two,  "jerking  " 
all  we  could  not  consume  in  that  time.  There  was  plenty  of 
game  along  the  river  here  and  for  a  long  distance  down,  but 
we  were  not  skilled  hunters,  nor  did  we  have  time  to  follow 
game  or  manoeuvre  for  it,  so  our  diet  was  mainly  confined  to 
what  Andy  could  produce  by  his  manipulation  of  the  supplies 
we  carried.  The  day  following  the  one  that  gave  us  the  deer, 
the  river  became  very  winding,  and  a  fearful  gale  blew  across 
it,  carrying  sand  into  our  eyes  and  some  water  into  our  boats. 
In  the   late  afternoon  we  bore  down  on  a  ridge,   about  one 


246  The  Colorado  River 

thousand  feet  high,  which  extended  far  in  both  directions 
athwart  our  course.  It  was  the  edge  of  the  Uinta  Mountains. 
At  its  very  foot  the  river  seemed  to  stop.  It  could  be  seen 
neither  to  right  nor  to  left,  nor  could  any  opening  be  detected 
in  the  mountain,  except  high  up  where  Powell  pointed  out  to 
us  a  bare  patch  of  brilliant  red  rocks  saying  it  was  the  top  of 
Flaming  Gorge,  the  beginning  of  the  canyon  series.  Passing 
the  mouth  of  Henry's  P"ork  on  the  right,  the  river  doubled 
suddenly  to  the  left  between  two  low  cliffs,  where  there  was  a 
small  whirlpool,  which  I  take  to  be  the  "Green  River  Suck" 
of  Ashley  and  the  early  trappers.  Around  another  point  we 
swept  and  found  ourselves  floating  on  the  tranquil  waters  of 
Flaming  Gorge.  A  fine  grove  of  deep  green  cottonwoods 
stood  out  on  the  left  in  contrast  to  the  rough  red  rocks. 
There  were  moored  the  other  boats,  which  on  this  occasion 
had  preceded  us,  and  the  ever-faithful  Andy  was  engaged  in 
preparing  dinner.  The  next  and  first  real  canyon  was  the 
one  called  Horseshoe,  a  short  and  beautiful  gorge  some  sixteen 
hundred  feet  in  depth,  and  containing  rapid  "Number  One," 
a  very  mild  affair,  but  particularly  noticeable  because  it  is  the 
first  of  the  six  hundred,  great  and  small,  we  had  the  satisfac- 
tion of  vanquishing  in  our  war  against  the  falling  waters.  We 
had  already  descended  something  over  one  hundred  and  fifty 
of  the  five  thousand  feet  we  expected  to  go  down,  but  there 
had  been  only  swift  water  at  that  stage  of  flood ;  nothing  that, 
on  the  Colorado,  would  be  considered  a  serious  rapid. 

Every  morning  the  cabins  of  the  boats  were  packed  like  so 
many  trunks.  The  blankets  were  rolled  up  and  put  in  their 
rubber  cases,  all  bags  of  supplies  were  securely  tied  and  stowed 
away,  in  short,  every  article  was  placed  in  the  cabins  and  the 
hatches  firmly  buttoned  in  place,  with  the  canvas  cover  drawn 
snugly  over  the  deck.  Only  a  grand  smash-up  could  injure 
these  things.  Nothing  was  left  out  but  such  instruments  as 
were  hourly  needed,  the  guns,  life-preservers,  and  a  camp- 
kettle  in  each  boat  for  bailing  purposes.  On  each  of  two  boats 
there  was  a  topographer,  whose  duty  was  to  sight  the  direction 
of  every  bend  of  the  river  and  estimate  the  length  of  the 
stretch.     Thompson,  on  his  boat,  also  kept  a  similar  record. 


2   o 


248  The  Colorado  River 

The  sighting  was  done  with  ;i  prismatic  compass,  and  one  of 
these  was  rendered  more  interesting  by  bearing  on  the  leather 
case  the  name  of  George  B.  McCleUan,  written  by  the  future 
general  when  he  was  a  lieutenant  of  engineers.  There  was 
seldom  much  discrepancy  between  the  different  estimates 
made  during  the  day,  as  men  grow  very  accurate  in  such  mat- 
ters, but  a  check  on  all  estimates  was  obtained  by  frequent 
observations  for  latitude  and  longitude. 

The  third  canyon  is  also  a  short  one,  the  three  aggregating 
less  than  ten  miles.  Because  of  the  many  kingfishers  flying 
about  it  was  called  Kingfisher  Canyon,  and  a  point  where  they 
were  especially  numerous  was  named  Bee-hive.  At  the  foot 
of  this  third  short  canyon  the  rocks  ran  together  in  a  forbidding 
manner,  and  out  of  the  depths  beyond  came  a  roar;  just  as  one 
outside  of  the  jungle  might  hear  the  lion's  note  within.  On  a 
bright  Friday  morning  we  were  ready  to  try  our  fortune,  and 
with  all  made  snug,  pulled  in  between  the  cliffs  where  in  a 
moment  we  beheld  a  wild  sea  of  descending  foam.  Rapid 
quickly  followed  rapid  and  immediately  we  had  some  exciting 
work.  Our  boat  was  swept  so  near  the  right-hand  cliff  that 
one  of  the  after  rowlocks  was  torn  off,  and  at  about  the  same 
time  the  Xci/ic  Pozvcil,  following  but  signalled  to  keep  to 
to  the  left,  was  seen  to  strike  rocks  near  the  opposite  side  and 
capsize.  The  next  instant  we  were  borne  out  of  sight.  Mil- 
lers, with  only  one  rowlock,  could  not  use  his  oars,  so  the  work 
devolved  entirely  on  me.  The  boat  was  heavy  for  one  pair  of 
oars,  and  we  were  being  carried  down  stream  at  a  terrific  pace. 
On  the  left  was  a  little  beach  where  we  might  land,  and  I  pulled 
for  this  with  all  my  power.  At  length  to  my  great  relief  I  felt 
the  keel  touch  bottom.  We  were  still  about  fifteen  feet  from 
the  beach,  but  the  water  was  not  any  deeper  than  the  grating 
of  the  keel  indicated,  so  we  were  overboard  in  a  moment  and 
pulled  her  to  the  bank.  At  the  same  instant  the  Cafwnita  ran 
in,  dashing  up  like  a  horse  finishing  a  race.  The  crew  reported 
the  other  boat  upside  down,  but  they  were  unable  to  stop  to 
help  her.  They  thought  the  crew  were  safe,  and  we  hoped 
with  all  our  hearts  they  were.  There  was  nothing  we  could 
do  but  wait  for  some  sign  from    above,   and  in  about  three 


The  Grave  of  Hook  249 

quarters  of  an  hour  the  boat  came  rushing  down  with  all  hands 
safe  and  exceedingly  happy  over  claiming  the  distinction  of 
the  first  capsize.  Now  many  rapids  fell  to  our  lot,  and  we 
were  kept  busy  every  moment.  On  the  4th  of  June  we  passed 
the  wrecks  of  some  boats  half-buried  in  the  sand,  and  on  land- 
ing we  discovered  a  grave  on  a  little  knoll  some  distance  back 
from  the  water,  with  a  pine  board  stuck  up  at  its  head  bearing 
the  name  of  Hook.  The  rapid  that  had  apparently  caused  the 
disaster  told  by  these  objects  we  easily  ran.  The  unfortunates 
had  attempted  the  descent  in  flat-bottomed  boats,  that  shipped 
much  water  and  toppled  over  with  the  slightest  provocation. 
They  had  followed  Powell  on  his  former  trip,  declaring  that  if 
he  could  go  down  the  river  so  could  they,  but  they  learned 
their  mistake  and  paid  dearly  for  the  experience.  The  leader, 
whose  bones  lie  in  these  splendid  depths  of  Red  Canyon,  was 
said  to  have  been  the  first  mayor  of  Cheyenne.  Many  more 
rapids  we  ran  with  a  current  of  from  six  to  twelve  or  fifteen 
miles  per  hour,  and  we  made  many  "let-downs,"  which  means 
working  a  boat  along  the  edge  of  a  rapid  by  the  aid  of  lines, 
without  removing  the  cargo.  We  called  this  process,  when  we 
removed  the  cargo,  a  "line  portage,"  as  distinguished  from  a 
complete  portage  where  the  boats  were  taken  out  of  the  water. 
Shortly  after  dinner  one  day  we  heard  a  deep  roaring,  which 
implied  that  we  were  approaching  a  violent  fall,  and  hugging^ 
the  left-hand  bank,  we  drifted  slowly  down  to  within  a  rod  or 
two  of  the  drop  and  easily  landed.  It  was  Ashley  Falls.  In 
the  centre  of  the  river  protruded  an  immense  rock,  twenty-five 
feet  square,  and  the  river  rushed  by  on  each  side  making 
a  sudden  descent  of  about  eight  feet.  It  would  have  been 
nothing  to  run  had  it  been  free  from  rocks;  but  it  was  in 
reality  the  rocks  which  formed  it.  They  had  fallen  from  the 
left-hand  wall  within  some  comparatively  recent  time,  and 
acted  as  a  dam.  Many  more  were  piled  up  against  the  left- 
hand  cliff.  The  river,  averaging  about  two  hundred  and  fifty 
feet  wide,  had  been  narrowed  by  about  one-third  and  a  rapid 
had  thus  been  changed  into  a  fall.  We  made  a  portage  here 
with  the  first  and  third  boats.  The  second  we  allowed  to  run 
through    with    lines   attached,    but   as  she  got   several  severe 


250  The  Colorado  River 

knocks  we  deemed  it  unsafe  to  risk  the  other.  Our  camp 
was  on  a  small  level  place  among  some  pine  trees,  almost  over 
the  fall,  and  I  think  I  never  saw  a  more  romantic  spot.  The 
moon  shone  down  into  the  canyon  with  surpassing;  brilliancy, 
and  this,  in  contrast  to  our  lavish  camp-fire  and  extremely 
comfortable  surroundings,  made  a  combination  ever  to  be 
remembered.      See  pages  113  and  112. 

It  was  on  one  of  the  huge  rocks  above  the  river  on  the  left 
that  Ashley  wrote  his  name.  This  was  in  black  letters, 
sheltered  by  a  slight  projection  of  the  rock  which  acted  as  a 
cornice.  Thus  it  had  remained  distinct,  except  one  figure  of 
the  date,  for  forty-six  years,  having  been  done  in  1825.  The 
portage  around  Ashley  Falls  was  laborious  as  we  were  obliged 
to  climb  with  everything  about  fifty  feet  above  the  river,  but 
labour  is  better  than  disaster,  and  it  was  on  such  points  as  these 
that  Powell  and  Thompson  always  exhibited  good  sense. 
Smaller  men  would  have  been  unable  to  resist  the  temptation 
to  run  everything,  for  there  comes  an  exhilaration  in  this  work 
that  is  subtle  and  dangerous.  Below  this  the  declivity  was  very 
great,  but  as  there  were  few  rocks  our  boats  were  able  to  go 
down  flying.  The  walls  were  two  thousand  to  twenty-five 
hundred  feet  high,  but  not  vertical.  Suddenly  we  ran  out  into 
a  beautiful  little  valley  on  the  right  known  to  trappers  as  Little 
Brown's  Hole,  and  renamed  by  our  party  Red  Canyon  Park. 
Here  we  camped  for  a  day  and  then  went  on  between  high 
walls  over  a  number  of  rapids,  to  emerge  into  Brown's  Park. 
This  place,  I  take  it,  was  the  end  of  Ashley's  journey  down 
the  river.  Sailing  along  on  a  quiet  current  in  a  valley  six 
miles  wide,  we  ran  upon  a  camp  of  cattle  herders,  where 
Richardson  left  us,  as  Powell  decided  that  he  was  not  able  to 
stand  the  work.  He  regretfully  went  back  with  some  of  the 
cattlemen  to  Green  River  Station. 

The  temperature  was  now  often  99°  F.  in  the  shade,  and 
rowing  on  the  slow  current  was  irksome,  so  we  lashed  the 
boats  together  and  drifted  along  while  the  Major  in  his  arm- 
chair read  aloud  selections  from  Scott,  Emerson,  and  others, 
whose  condensed  poetical  works  and  a  couple  of  Bibles  were 
all  the  literature  to  be  found  in  the  party,  as  books  are  heavy 


The  Gate  of  Lodore 


251 


and  weight  was  to  be  avoided.  At  times  some  of  the  men 
amused  themselves  by  diving  under  the  boats,  swimming 
around  and  ahead  of  them,  or  surprised  a  coyote  on  the  bank 
with  a  rifle-shot,  and  otherwise  enjoyed  the  relaxation  we 
had  well  earned  by  our  toil  in  Red  Canyon.  The  river  was 
smooth  and  deep  and  about  six  hundred  to  eight  hundred  feet 
wide.  At  the  very  foot  of  the  valley  we  made  a  camp  under 
the  shadow  of  that  magnificent  and  unrivalled  portal,  the  Gate 
-of  Lodore,  which  had  been  visible  to  us  for  many  miles;  the 


The  Heart  of  Lodore. 

Photograph  by  E.  O.  Beaman,  U.  S.  Colo.  Riv.  Exp. 

dark  cleft  two  thousand  feet  high,  through  which  the  river 
cuts  into  the  heart  of  the  mountains,  appearing  as  solemn  and 
mysterious  as  the  pathway  to  another  world.  From  an  emin- 
ence we  could  peer  into  its  depths  for  some  distance,  and  there 
was  no  sign  of  a  rapid,  but  we  were  not  deceived,  having  posted 
ourselves  by  extracts  from  Jack  Sumner's  diary,  whose  de- 
scription of  "how  the  waters  come  down  at  Lodore"  was 
contained  in  the  frequent  repetition  of  the  words,  "a  hell  of 
foam."  Lodore,  indeed,  is  almost  one  continuous  rapid  for 
the  whole  twenty  miles  of  its  length,  and  the  passage  through 


252 


The  Colorado  River 


it  will  tax  the  endurance  of  any  man.  The  declivity  is  the 
greatest  of  the  whole  river  with  the  exception  of  the  First 
Granite  Gorge  of  the  Grand  Canyon  and  a  portion  of  Cataract 
Canyon.  A  diagram  of  it  is  given  on  page  57.  I  have  space 
onlv    to    describe    one   or   two   characteristic   incidents.     The 


The  Canyon  of  Lodore.     Looking  down  Stream. 
Photograph  by  E.  O.  Beaman,  U.  S.  Colo.  Riv.  Exp. 
River  here  was  extremely  swift.     Fall  at  left  distance.     Second  expedition  landed  with 
difficulty  on  right  at  foot  of  tall  pines.     The  dark  lines  at  water's  edge  are  the  boats. 


current  of  the  river  was  extraordinarily  swift ;  it  must  have 
been  in  some  places  nearly  twenty  miles  an  hour.  The 
stream  averaged  about  three  hundred  feet  wide.  The  boats 
in  a  rapid  fairly  flew  along  amidst  the  foam,  plunging  and 
rearing  in  the  "tails"  of  waves  which  always  terminate 
rapids  of  this  class.      One  day  about  noon  we  came  shooting 


A  Hard  Landing  253 

down  over  one  of  these  places,  having  just  run  a  rather  bad 
rapid,  when  we  saw  only  a  few  hundred  yards  below  an 
ugly  looking  fall.  The  left  wall  came  down  very  straight 
into  the  water  and  threw  a  deep  shadow  over  it  so  that  we 
could  not  tell  exactly  what  was  there.  Opposite  was  a  rocky 
wooded  point,  and  between  the  two  the  river  bodily  fell  away. 
Altogether  it  was  a  beautiful,  though  a  startling  picture.  The 
whole  set  of  the  current  was  towards  this  drop  with  headlong 
fury.  There  were  no  eddies,  no  slack  water  of  any  kind.  But 
we  could  not  do  such  a  foolhardy  thing  as  to  go  into  it  without 
knowing  what  it  was  and  therefore  a  landing  was  imperative. 
Accordingly  we  headed  for  the  right  bank,  and  laid  to  our  oars 
till  they  bent  like  straws.  We  almost  reached  the  shore.  It 
was  only  a  few  feet  away,  but  the  relentless  current  was  hurl- 
ing us,  broadside  on,  toward  the  dark  rocks  where  the  smooth 
water  was  broken  and  torn  and  churned  to  shreds  of  snowy 
foam.  There  was  only  one  thing  for  us  to  do,  if  we  did  not 
want  to  run  upon  the  rocks,  and  that  was  to  leap  overboard, 
and  trust  to  bringing  the  boat  to  a  stop  by  holding  on  to  the 
bottom,  here  not  so  far  down.  This  was  done,  and  the  depth 
turned  out  to  be  about  to  our  waists;  but  for  a  little  time  the 
boat  sped  on  as  before.  Planting  our  shoes  firmly  against  the 
boulders  of  the  bottom  as  we  slid  along,  we  finally  gained 
the  upper  hand,  and  then  it  was  an  easy  matter  to  reach  the 
shore.  Hardly  had  we  done  this  when  the  Nell  came  tearing 
down  in  the  same  fashion.  We  rushed  into  the  water  as  far  as 
we  dared,  and  they  pulled  with  a  will  till  they  came  to  us,  when 
they  all  jumped  into  the  water  and  we  tugged  the  boat  ashore, 
just  in  time  to  plunge  in  again  and  help  the  Canonita  in  the 
same  way.  Dinner  over,  the  rapid  was  examined  and  it  was 
discovered  that  by  pulling  straight  out  into  it  clear  of  the  rocks, 
we  could  easily  get  through.  This  was  accordingly  done  and 
one  after  the  other  the  boats  sped  down  as  if  towed  by  an  ex- 
press train.  Then  we  ran  a  number  of  smaller  ones  with  no 
trouble,  and  toward  evening  arrived  at  a  place  where  the  entire 
river  dropped  into  a  sag,  before  falling  over  some  very  bad 
rapids.  We  avoided  the  sag  by  keeping  close  to  the  left  bank, 
and  rounded  a  little  point  into  a  broad  eddy,  across  which  we 


254 


The  Colorado  River 


could  -sail  witli  impunity.  Then  wc  landed  on  a  rocky  point  at 
the  head  of  the  first  bad  plunge,  the  be<4inning  of  Disaster 
Falls,  where  the  Xo-Nainc  was  wrecked  two  years  before.  At 
this  place  we  camped  for  the  night.     The  descent  altogether 


The  Canyon  of  Lodore.      Looking  across  a  Rapid. 
Photograph  by  E.  O.  Beama.n',  U.  S.  Colo.  Riv.  Exp. 


here  is  about  fifty  feet.  In  the  morning  all  the  cargoes  were 
taken  over  the  rocks  to  the  foot  of  the  first  fall,  and  the  boats 
were  cautiously  worked  down  along  the  edge,  to  where  the 
cargoes  were,  where  they  were  reloaded  and  lowered  to  the 
head    of    the    next    descent,    several    hundred    yards.       Here 


Preserved  Flour  255 

the  cargoes  were  again  taken  out  and  carried  over  the  rocks 
down  to  a  quiet  bay.  This  took  till  very  late  and  every  one 
was  tired  out,  but  the  boats  were  carried  and  pushed  on 
skids  up  over  the  rocks  for  twenty  or  thirty  yards,  past  the 
worst  of  the  fall,  and  then  lowered  into  the  water  to  be  let 
down  the  rest  of  the  way  by  lines.  Two  had  to  be  left  there 
till  the  following  day.  We  had  found  a  one  hundred  pound 
sack  of  flour  lying  on  a  high  rock,  where  it  had  been  placed 
at  the  time  of  the  wreck  of  the  No-Name,  and  Andy  that 
day  made  our  dinner  biscuits  out  of  it.  Though  it  was 
two  years  old  the  bread  tasted  perfectly  good ;  and  this  is  a 
tribute  to  the  climate,  as  well  as  to  the  preservative  qualities 
of  a  coating  of  wet  flour.  This  coating  was  about  half  an  inch 
thick,  and  outside  were  a  cotton  flour-sack  and  a  gunny  bag. 
The  flour  was  left  on  the  rock  and  may  be  there  yet.  Not  far 
below  this  we  came  to  Lower  Disaster  Falls,  which  a  short 
portage  enabled  us  to  circumnavigate  and  go  on  our  way. 
The  current  was  so  swift  all  the  time  that  objects  on  shore 
flitted  past  as  they  do  when  one  looks  from  a  window  of  a  rail- 
way train.  Just  opposite  our  camp  on  this  night  the  cliff  was 
almost  perpendicular  from  the  water's  edge  to  the  height  of 
about  twenty-five  hundred  feet.  The  walls  seemed  very  close 
together,  only  a  narrow  strip  of  sky  being  visible.  As  we  sat 
after  supper  peering  aloft  at  this  ribbon  of  the  heavens,  the 
stars  in  the  clear  sky  came  slowly  out  like  some  wonderful 
transformation  scene,  and  just  on  the  edge  of  the  opposite  wall, 
resembling  an  exquisite  and  brilliant  jewel,  appeared  the  con- 
stellation of  the  Harp.  Immediately  the  name  "Cliff  of  the 
Harp  "  suggested  itself  and  from  that  moment  it  was  so  called. 
Here  and  there  we  discovered  evidences  of  the  former  jour- 
ney, but  nothing  to  indicate  that  human  beings  had  ever  before 
that  been  below  Disaster  Falls.  There  we  saw  the  same  indi- 
cations of  an  early  disaster  which  Powell  had  noticed  on  the 
first  trip,  a  rusty  bake-oven,  some  knives  and  forks  and  tin 
plates,  in  the  sand  at  the  foot  of  the  second  fall.  The  day 
after  the  Cliff  of  the  Harp  camp  we  began  by  making  a  line- 
portage  around  a  very  ugly  place,  which  took  the  whole  morn- 
ing.     In  the  afternoon  there  was  another  similar  task,  so  that 


256  The  Colorado  River 

b\'  nii;ht  wc  had  made  only  three  or  four  miles,  and  camped  at 
the  beginnini^  of  a  decidedly  forbidding  stretch.  Just  below 
us  were  three  sharp  rapids  which  received  the  name  of  Triplet 
l^^dls.  A  great  deal  of  work  was  required  to  pass  these,  and 
then  we  ran  three  or  four  in  good  style,  which  brought  us,  in 
the  late  afternoon,  to  where  the  whole  river  spread  out  amongst 
innumerable  rocks  and  for  more  than  half  a  mile  the  water  was 
a  solid  sheet  of  milky  foam,  sending  up  the  usual  wild  roar, 
which  echoed  and  echoed  again  and  again  amongst  the  cliffs 
around  and  above  us.  Some  one  proposed  the  name  of  "  Hell's 
Half-Mile"  for  this  terrible  place  and  the  idea  was  at  once 
adopted,  so  appropriate  did  it  seem.  The  turmoil  of  the  dash- 
ing waters  was  almost  deafening,  and,  even  when  separated  by 
only  a  few  feet,  we  could  only  communicate  with  each  other 
by  shouting  at  the  top  of  our  lungs.  It  was  a  difTficult  task  to 
get  our  little  ships  safely  below  this  half-mile,  but  it  was  finally 
accomplished,  and  on  we  went  in  search  of  the  next  dragon's 
claw.  At  our  camp  the  fire  in  some  way  got  into  a  pine 
grove  and  soon  was  crackling  enough  to  rival  the  noise  of  the 
rapid.  The  lower  region  seemed  now  to  be  sending  its  flames 
up  through  the  bottom  of  the  gorge  and  the  black  smoke 
rolled  into  the  sky  far  above  the  top  of  the  walls.  Many  and 
varied  were  our  experiences  in  this  magnificent  canyon,  which 
for  picturesqueness  and  beauty  rivals  even  the  Grand  Canyon, 
though  not  on  such  a  giant  scale.  Its  passage  would  probably 
be  far  easier  at  low  water.  At  last,  one  evening,  as  the  soft 
twilight  was  settling  into  the  chasm,  a  strange,  though  agree- 
able silence,  that  seemed  almost  oppressive,  fell  around  us. 
The  angry  waters  ceased  their  roaring.  We  slid  along  on  a 
smooth,  even  river,  and  suddenly  emerged  into  a  pretty  little 
park,  a  mile  long,  bounded  by  cliffs  only  some  six  hundred 
feet  high.  Running  our  boats  up  into  the  mouth  of  a  quiet 
river  entering  from  the  left  we  tied  them  up  and  were  quickly 
established  in  the  most  comfortable  camp  since  Brown's  Park. 
We  were  at  the  mouth  of  Yampa  River.  From  a  wonderful 
echo  which  repeated  a  sentence  of  ten  words,  we  called  the 
place  Echo  Park.  Such  an  echo  in  Europe  would  be  worth  a 
fortune.     The  Echo  Rock  is  shown  on  page  203. 


Canyon  of  Lodore  at  Triplet  Falls. 

Cliffs  about  2500  feet  high.     River  about  300  feet  wide. 
Photograph  by  E.  O.  Beaman,  U.  S.  Colo.  Riv.  Exp. 


258  The  Colorado  River 

Here  a  stop  was  made  for  several  days,  and  one  evening" 
some  of  us  took  a  boat  and  went  up  the  Yampa  a  little  dis- 
tance. The  walls  were  vertical  and  high,  and  the  shadows 
thrown  by  the  cliffs  as  we  floated  along  their  base  were  fairly- 
luminous,  so  bright  was  the  moon.  A  song  burst  from  the 
rowers  and  was  echoed  from  wall  to  wall  till  lost  in  the  silence 
of  the  night-enveloped  wilderness.  Nothing  could  have  been 
more  beautiful,  and  the  tranquillity  was  a  joy  to  us  after  the 
days  of  turmoil  in  Lodore. 


*^  f^^ 

\-r.--^=>s\ 

/^K-v^j/ 

•  •  • 

•    •  •  • 

•  •  •  • 

•  • 

•  •  •• 

» 

• 

•  •  « 

• 

• 

•  •  • 
•  • « • 

•  •  «  • 
•  •  •  « 


CHAPTER    XI 

An  Island  Park  and  a  Split  Mountain — The  White  River  Runaways — Powell 
Goes  to  Salt  Lake — Failure  to  Get  Rations  to  the  Dirty  Devil — On  the 
Rocks  in  Desolation — Natural  Windows — An  Ancient  House — On  the  Back 
of  the  Dragon  at  Last — Cataracts  and  Cataracts  in  the  Wonderful  Cataract 
Canyon — A  Lost  Pack-Train — Naming  the  Echo  Peaks. 

WITH  one  of  the  boats  from  the  camp  in  Echo  Park  Pow- 
ell went  up  the  Yampa  to  see  what  might  be  there. 
Though  this  stream  was  tranquil  at  its  mouth,  it  proved  to  be 
rough  farther  up,  and  the  party,  in  the  four  days  they  were 
gone,  were  half  worn  out,  coming  back  ragged,  gaunt,  and 
ravenous,  having  run  short  of  food.  The  Monday  following 
their  return,  our  boats  were  again  carefully  packed,  life-pre- 
servers were  inflated,  and  we  went  forth  once  more  to  the 
combat  with  the  rapids,  A  few  minutes'  rowing  carried  us  to 
the  end  of  Echo  Rock,  which  is  a  narrow  tongue  of  sandstone, 
about  half  a  mile  long  and  five  hundred  or  six  hundred  yards 
thick,  and  turning  the  bend  we  entered  Whirlpool  Canyon  ;  the 
cliffs,  as  soon  as  the  other  side  of  Echo  Rock  was  passed, 
shooting  up  into  the  air  and  enfolding  us  again  in  a  canyon 
embrace.  The  depth  was  quickly  a  couple  of  thousand  feet 
with  walls  very  close  together  till,  in  three  or  four  miles,  we 
came  to  a  violent  rapid.  A  landing  was  easily  made  and  the 
boats  lowered  by  lines.  Below  this  the  canyon  was  much 
wider,    and  the  rapids  were  not    difficult.      By   the    time  the 

259 


26o 


The  Colorado  River 


camping  hour  came,  we  had  put  behind  seven  miles  with  five 
rapids  and  the  extra  bad  one  where  the  boats  were  lowered. 
No  whirlpools  were  encountered,  the  stage  of  water  not  be- 
ing favourable  for  them.  As  previously  noted,  every  stage  of 
water  produces  different  conditions,  so  that  the  navigator  on 
this  river  can  never  be  certain  of  what  he  will  find.  Our  course 
througli  Whirlpool  was  neither  difficult  nor  dangerous,  as  we 
were  able  to  make  landings  at  the  few  bad  places  and  ran  the 


Island  Park,  Green  River. 

Between  Whirlpool  and  Split-Mountain  Canyons. 

Photograph  by  E.  O.  Beaman,  U.  S.  Colo.  Riv.  Exp. 

rest  of  the  rapids  without  damage  of  any  kind.  Only  one 
camp  was  made  in  this  beautiful  gorge,  and  there  w^e  slept,  or 
tried  to  sleep,  for  two  nights.  Myriads  of  ants  swarmed  over 
the  spot  and  made  every  hour  more  or  less  of  a  torment. 
They  extended  their  investigations  into  every  article  brought 
out  of  the  boats.  During  the  whole  time  their  armies  marched 
and  countermarched  over,  around,  and  through  ourselves  and 
everything  we  possessed.  We  saw  a  number  of  mountain  sheep 
in  this  canyon,  but  owing  to  the  quickness  of  the  sheep  and  the 


Island  Park 


261 


difficulty   of   pursuing   them  over  the  wild  cliffs,  which  they 
seemed  to  know  well,  we  were  unable  to  bring  any  down. 

Our  second  day's  run  was  uneventful  through  a  superb  gorge 
about  twenty-four  hundred  feet  deep,  and  at  a  late  hour  in  the 
afternoon,  just  after  we  had  run  our  worst  rapid  in  fine  style, 


Entrance  to  Split-Mountain  Canyon,  Right  Hand  Cliffs. 

Height  about  2000  feet. 
Photograph  by  E.  O.  Beaman,  U.  S.  Colo.  Riv.  Exp. 

we  perceived  the  great  walls  breaking  away,  and  they  soon 
melted  off  into  rounded  hills,  exquisitely  coloured,  as  if  painted 
by  Nature  in  imitation  of  the  rainbow.  The  river  spread  out, 
between  and  around  a  large  number  of  pretty  islands  bearing 
thick  Cottonwood  groves.  The  shallowness  of  the  water  caused 
our  keels  to  touch  occasionally,  but  the  current  was  compara- 


262 


The  Colorado  River 


tively  slow  and  we  were  not  disturbed  over  it.  Powell  hesitated 
as  to  calling  this  place  Rainbow  or  Island  Park,  the  choice  event- 
ually fallin<j  to  the  latter.  The  valley  is  only  three  or  four 
miles  long  in  a  straight  line.  Shortly  before  sunset  we  had 
the  disappointment  of  reaching  the  end  of  it,  and  immediately 
below  the  place  where  we  camped  the  rocks  closed  sharply 
together  once  more.  Here  Powell  determined  that  he  would 
push  ahead  of  the  main  party,  in  order  to  make  his  way,  as 


In  Split-Mountain  Canyon. 

Highest  walls  2700  feet. 
Photograph  by  E.  O.  Beaman,  U.  S.  Colo.  Riv.  Exp. 


soon  as  possible,  to  the  Uinta  Ute  Agency,  in  order  to  com- 
municate with  the  outer  world  and  ascertain  if  his  plans  for 
supply-trains  were  moving  on  to  success.  He  took  the  Dean, 
but  Bishop  was  put  in  my  place  because  of  his  considerable 
experience  in  the  Western  country,  for  there  was  no  telling 
what  they  might  encounter.  On  the  morning  of  July  7th,  at 
daybreak,  therefore,  they  were  off,  and  speedily  disappeared 
from  our  sight  within  the  rocks  that  arose  below  our  camp.     A 


A  Split  Mountain  263 

■number  of  the  remaining  men  climbed  to  the  top  of  the  left- 
hand  side  of  the  "gate,"  an  altitude  of  about  three  thousand 
feet  above  camp,  and  from  there  were  able  to  see  the  Emma 
Dean  for  a  long  distance,  working  down  through  the  rapids. 
The  view  from  that  altitude  over  the  surrounding  country  and 
into  the  canyon  was  something  wonderful  to  behold.  A  wild 
and  ragged  wilderness  stretched  out  in  all  directions,  while 
■down  in  the  canyon — more  of  a  narrow  valley  than  a  canyon 


split-Mountain  Canyon. 

Looking  down  from  top  near  e  itrance,  3000  feet. 
Photograph  by  E.  O.  Beaman,  U.  S.  Colo.  Riv.  Exp. 

after  the  entrance  was  passed — the  river  swept  along,  marked, 
here  and  there,  by  bars  of  white  we  knew  to  be  rapids.  Crags 
and  pinnacles  shot  up  from  every  hand,  and  from  this  cir- 
cumstance it  was  at  first  uncertain  whether  to  call  the  canyon 
Craggy  or  Split-Mountain.  The  latter  was  decided  on,  as  the 
river  has  sawed  in  two  a  huge  fold  of  the  strata — a  mountain 
split  in  twain.  When  we  entered  it  with  our  boats  to  again 
descend,  we  had  gone  but  a  little  distance  before  massive  beds 
of  solid  rock  came  up  straight  out  of  the  water  on  both  sides 


264  The  Colorado  River 

and  we  were  instantly  sailing  in  a  deep,  narrow  canyon,  the 
beds  at  length  arching  over,  down  stream,  high  above  our 
heads.  It  was  an  extraordinary  sight.  While  we  were  looking 
at  the  section  of  the  great  fold,  we  discovered  some  mountain 
sheep  far  up  the  rocks.  Though  we  fired  at  them  the  circum- 
stances were  against  our  hitting,  and  they  scampered  scornfully 
away  from  crag  to  crag,  out  of  our  sight.  Then  the  canyon 
widened  at  the  top,  and  at  the  same  time  rapids  appeared. 
They  came  by  dozens,  but  there  were  none  that  we  could  not 
master  with  certainty  by  hard  work.     Wet  from  head  to  foot 

r 


Men  of  the  1871  Expedition  at  an  Abanduiud  Cabin  Opposite  the  Mouth  of  the  Uinta  River. 

Photograph  by  E.  O.  Beaman   U.  S.  Colo.  Riv.  Exp. 

we  continued  this  labour  for  three  days,  and  then  the  rocks, 
the  "Ribbon  Beds,"  turned  over  and  disappeared  beneath  the 
water  just  as  they  had  come  out  of  it  above.  The  low  stage 
of  the  river  made  this  canyon  difficult,  so  far  as  exertion  was 
concerned,  and  the  rapids  would  perhaps  be  far  easier  during 
the  spring  flood. 

We  were  now  in  Wonsits  Valley,  the  longest  expansion  of 
the  walls  above  Black  Canyon.  Near  our  camp,  which  was  on 
a  soft,  grassy  bank  beside  smooth-flowing  waters,  some  picture 
writings  were  found,  the  first  indications,  since  the  wreckage 


An  Elopement 


265 


at  Disaster  Falls,  outside  of  occasional  signs  of  Powell's  other 
party,  that  human  beings  had  ever  been  in  the  country.     The 
tail-piece  at  the  end  of  the  preface  to  this  volume  is  a  reduc- 
tion of  a  drawing  I  made  of  the  largest  figure,  which  was  about 
four  feet  high.    The  river  now  flowed  gently  between  low  banks 
covered  in  many    places  with    cottonwoods,   and    it    required 
hard  labour  of  a  different  kind  to  get  the  boats  along.      Signs 
of  Utes  began  to  appear, 
and  one  morning  a  fine 
fellow,  gaily  dressed,  and 
mounted   on    a  splendid 
horse,    rode    into    camp 
with    a   "How — how!" 
Farther  on  we  came  to 
him  again,  with  his  squaw, 
a     good-looking     young 
woman,  very  well  dress- 
ed in  a  sort  of  navy  blue 
flannel,  and  wearing  nu- 
merous ornaments.     We 
ferried    them    across  the 
river,     and    afterwards 
found   they    were    runa- 
ways from  White  River, 
— an    elopement    in     re- 
ality. 

After  a  good  deal  of 
hard    rowing    we    finally 

reached  the  mouth  of  the  Uinta.  Thompson  went  up  to  the 
Agency,  about  forty  miles  away,  and  found  that  Powell  had 
gone  out  to  Salt  Lake.  When  the  latter  came  back  to  the 
Agency  it  was  to  direct  Thompson  to  go  on  with  our  party, 
while  Powell  went  out  again  to  see  about  the  ration-supply  at 
the  mouth  of  the  Dirty  Devil.  The  men  sent  there  had  been 
unable  to  find  the  place,  or,  indeed,  to  get  anywhere  near  it. 
Powell  was  to  meet  us  again  at  the  foot  of  Gray  Canyon,  about 
one  hundred  and  fifty  miles  farther  down.  When  our  supplies 
had  been  brought  from  the  Agency  and  all  was  ready,  we 


The  Runaways.     White  River  Utcs. 
Photograpli  by  E.  O.  Beaman,  U.  S.  Colo.  Riv.  Exp. 


266 


The  Colorado  River 


proceeded  on  our  way,  passing  the  elopers  near  the  end  of  the 
valley,  where  they  were  very  happy  in  a  good  camp  with  a 
fresh  deer  and  plenty  of  vermilion,  which  they  used  liberally 
on  their  faces.  Below  this  the  river  was  full  of  beaver,  and 
had  Pattie  or  some  of  the  early  trappers  been  there,  they  could 
have  reaped  a  rich  harvest.  The  current  was  slow,  and  Thomp- 
son read  Emerson  aloud  as  we  drifted.    Gradually  the  hills  began 


Colorado   River  "Salmon" 
This  fish  is  caught  in  Green  River  as  long  as  four  feet.      It  is  sluggish.     The  flesh  is  white  and 

palatable 

The  boat  is  the  stern  of  the   Major  Powell,   the  first  steam  craft  on  Green  River.     View  near 

mouth  of  the  San  Rafael 

Photograph  by   L.  H.  Johnson 

to  grow  rocky,  and  then  distinct  low  cliffs  appeared,  till  finally 
"we  discovered  ourselves  fairly  within  the  walls  of  another  can- 
yon, which  from  the  barren  character  of  its  cliffs  is  called  the 
Canyon  of  Desolation.  It  is  ninety-seven  miles  long,  and  im- 
mediately at  its  foot  is  Gray  Canyon,  thirty-six  miles  long. 
Then  comes  Gunnison  Valley,  and  it  was  there  that  Powell  was 
to  return  to  us.  The  first  indication  of  descending  waters  was 
a  slight  swiftness,   the  river  having  narrowed  up  to  its  can- 


Rocks  and  Rapids 


267 


yon-character.  At  one  place  it  doubled  back  on  itself,  forming 
in  the  bend  a  splendid  amphitheatre  which  was  called  after 
Sumner  of  the  former  party.  This  beautiful  wall,  about  one 
thousand  feet  high,  was  carved  and  sculptured  by  the  forces  of 
erosion  in  a  most  wonderful  manner.  It  is  shown  on  page  205. 
After  a  few  miles  between   such   walls  we  began   to  expect 


A  Halt  for  Observations. 

Second  Powell  Expedition. 
Photograph  by  E.  O.  Beaman,  U.  S.  Colo.  Riv.  Exp. 


rapids,  and  hardly  had  the  expectation  been  formed  when  it 
was  gratified.  An  increasing  roar  came  to  our  ears,  and  as  we 
rounded  a  bend  three  were  discovered  before  us  within  the 
space  of  half  a  mile.  The  water  had  been  continually  falling 
till  now  it  was  so  low  that  these  rapids  exhibited  a  startling 
number  of  rocks  amidst  the  foam.  We  believed  we  could  run 
them,  and  we  did.  The  first  was  cleared  easily.  In  the  second 
the  Nell  struck  a  submerged  rock,  but  glanced  over  it  without 


268 


The  Colorado  River 


damage,  while  our  boat  landed  squarely  on  the  top,  for  it 
could  not  be  seen  from  above,  and,  after  a  momentary  quiver, 
hung  there  as  the  wave  which  lifted  us  upon  it  receded.  The 
water  roared  and  boiled  furiously  about  us,  but  did  not  quite 
come  into  the  boat.  It  was  impossible  to  dip  the  oars  from 
the  stationary  boat  on  account  of  the  force  of  the  current. 
At  last  Hillers  perceived  that  the  sticking  point  was  almost 


'-^MitkMk:  % 


Uinta  Ute  Tipi  and  a  Summer  Shelter  and  Outlook,  Showing 
the  Old-time  Notched  Log  for  a  Ladder. 

Photograph  by  J.  K.  Hillers,  U.  S.  Geol.  Surv. 


under  the  extremity  of  the  keel.  Getting  out  cautiously  over 
the  stern  he  succeeded  in  touching  the  top  of  the  rock,  and, 
thus  lightened,  the  Dean  shot  forward,  though  not  before 
Hillers,  who  had  not  let  go  of  the  stern  rowlock,  was  able  to 
leap  on  board.  The  Cahoiiita  fared  still  worse.  Following 
us  too  close,  she  tried  to  pass,  but  struck  another  rock,  crush- 
ing in  her  side,  though  floating  down  nevertheless.  An  hour 
and  a  half  spent  on  her  put  her  in  good  order  again,  and  away 


Natural  Windows  269 

we  went,  running  a  third  and  a  fourth  with  no  trouble.  The 
walls  were  now  about  two  thousand  feet  high  and  we  felt  quite 
at  home.  Through  some  of  the  upper  narrow  promontories 
of  sandstone  there  were  large  holes,  or  arches,  some  of  them 
probably  a  hundred  or  more  feet  in  diameter.  They  were 
similar  to  the  Hole  in  the  Wall,  shown  in  the  cut  on  page  41, 
only  on  a  much  larger  scale.  The  next  day,  before  stopping  for 
dinner,  w^e  ran  nine  rapids  with  no  accident.     The  river  was 


Dellenbaugh  Butte,  Green  River  near  the  San  Rafael. 

Photograph  by  E.  O.  Beaman,  U.  S.  Colo.  Riv.  Exp. 

wider  than  in  the  upper  canyons,  and  while  the  low  state  of 
the  water  made  harder  work  and  pounded  the  boats  more,  I 
believe  that  on  the  whole  it  was  an  advantage.  The  current 
was  less  fierce  and  consequently  the  boats  were  always  more 
controllable.  Yet  when  the  water  falls  below  a  certain  point 
the  danger  of  striking  rocks  is  so  much  increased  that  a  rapid 
which,  at  a  little  higher  stage  would  be  easy  to  run  must  be 
avoided  entirely  by  a  portage  or  a  let-down.  The  waves  at 
low  water  are  also  smaller  and  hence  less  likely  to  upset  a  boat. 


2'jo  The  Colorado  River 

In  many  places  we  would  lower  a  boat  by  lines  near  the  shore^ 
with  two  men  in  her,  and  when  a  rock  appeared  they  fended 
her  off,  or  jumped  into  the  water  and  eased  the  craft  along, 
touching  bottom  where  they  could.  This  worked  very  well  for 
this  place  and  the  stage  of  water,  though  on  this  river  one 
must  ever  be  ready  to  adapt  himself  to  differing  conditions. 
Rapids  were  very  numerous,  but  we  succeeded  in  passing  them 
in  one  way  or  another  without  seriously  injuring  the  boats. 
The  walls  grew  to  magnificent  proportions.  At  one  camp  we 
could  see,  on  the  very  top  of  the  cliff  opposite,  an  object  that 
from  our  position  was  the  counterpart  of  a  log  cabin.  Tall 
pines  grew  around  it  and  the  deception  was  complete.  The 
cliff  being  twenty-four  hundred  feet  high,  the  "cabin  "  must 
in  reality  have  been  of  huge  size;  but  we  applied  the  name 
"Log-Cabin  Cliff"  to  the  place.  At  a  heavy  descent,  where 
the  Enuiia  Dean  of  the  first  expedition  was  swamped,  we  took 
no  chances  and  made  a  careful  let-down ;  a  little  farther  on  we 
did  the  same  thing  again.  This  method  of  passing  a  rapid  is 
not  romantic,  but  our  object  was  not  to  perform  spectacular 
feats  but  to  accomplish  the  work  in  hand ;  so  wherever  there 
was  any  doubt  as  to  the  safety  of  running  a  rapid  we  adopted 
the  prudent  course.  It  was  difficult  to  decide  sometimes  just 
where  to  draw  the  line;  in  one  rapid  we  tried  to  go  through, 
the  Nell  struck  a  rock,  knocking  Thompson  out  and  nearly 
capsizing,  but  no  real  harm  was  done.  The  walls  increased  to 
nearly  three  thousand  feet,  and  the  rapids  followed  each  other 
in  quick  succession  every  day.  At  one  point  we  saw,  a  couple 
of  thousand  feet  above  on  the  right  a  gigantic  example  of  the 
natural  arches.  Beyond  this  the  walls  began  to  grow  some- 
what lower.  Our  life  through  this  gorge,  as  well  as  through 
some  others,  might  be  described  by  the  monotonous  phrase, 
"Got  up,  ran  rapids,  went  to  bed."  There  was  no  time  to 
do  anything  else.  At  night  we  were  always  sleepy  and  tired. 
Fortunately  there  were  here  fine  places  to  camp — plenty  of 
room,  with  smooth  sand  to  sleep  on.  As  soon  as  we  halted 
for  the  night  we  would  don  our  dry  clothes  from  the  rubber 
bags,  and,  when  supper  was  over,  would  prepare  a  bed.  If  any 
kind  of  boughs  or  willows  were  to  be  had,  we  cut  a  quantity 


Gray  Canyon 


271 


and,  laying  them  in  regular  order  near  together,  formed  a  sort 
of  mattress  which  was  very  comfortable.  If  these  were  not  to 
be  had,  the  softest  spot  of  sand  was  the  next  choice.  In  putting 
the  river  suit  on  in  the  morning,  there  was  often  something  of 
a  shock,  for  it  was  not  always  thoroughly  dry.  At  length  the 
welcome  end  of  Desolation  came,  indicated  by  a  lowering  of 


Gunnison  Butte. 

Head  of  Gunnison  Valley  and  foot  of  Gray  Canyon. 

Powell  Expedition  of  1871  repairing  boats. 
Photograph  by  E.  O.  Beaman,  U.  S.  Colo.  Riv.  Exp. 


the  walls  and  a  break,  where  we  were  surprised  to  see  a  solitary 
lame  horse,  but  the  next  canyon.  Gray,  formed  immediately. 
This  was  at  first  called  Lignite  Canyon,  but  was  afterwards  re- 
named on  account  of  the  grey  colour  of  the  walls;  an  unusual 
feature.  The  work  here  was  similar  to  that  in  Desolation,  and 
we  were  not  sorry  when  we  came  to  the  foot  of  it,  there  going 
into  camp  to  await  the  return  of  Powell.  One  of  our  flags  was 
planted  at  the  end  of  an  island  below  the  canyon  mouth,  so 


272 


The  Colorado  River 


that  he  might  see  it.  Opposite  our  camp  was  a  very  strik- 
ing pinnacle  then  called  Cathedral  Butte,  but  later  changed  to 
Gunnison.  Here  we  took  the  boats  out  and  gave  them  a  good 
overhauling,  which  they  badly  needed.  The  descent  through 
Desolation  and  Gray  had  been  nearly  si.x  hundred  feet. 

Fishing  one  evening,  Hillers  thought  his  hook  had  caught 
in  a  snag,  but  he  was  greatly  surprised  after  carefull}'  pulling  in 
his  line,  to  find  on  the  end  of  it  a  sluggish  fish  four  feet  long, 
and  as  large  around  as  a  stovepipe.  We  were  to  wait  here  till 
the  3d  of  September  for  Powell,  but  on  the  29th  of  August 
three  shots  were  heard  in  the  valley  outside;  the  Major's  sig- 
nal. W.  C.  Powell  and  I  were  sent  to  investigate.  We  found 
him,  with  a  companion,  on  the  other  bank,  opposite  the  flag 
we  had  put  up.  Arriving  near  our  station,  a  man  was  sent  to 
take  their  horses  down  to  their  camp,  about  five  miles  below, 
and  they  went  with  us  on  the  boats.  Hamblin,  the  man  with 
Powell,  was  not  altogether  comfortable  in  some  of  the  swift 
places.  As  we  cleared  the  high  butte  marking  the  end  of  Gray 
Canyon,  we  perceived,  stretching  away  to  the  westward  from  it, 
a  beautiful  line  of  azure-blue  cliffs,  wonderfully  buttressed  and 
carved.  At  first  these  were  called  the  Henry  Cliffs,  but  after- 
ward Henry  was  applied  to  some  mountains  and  the  cliffs  were 
called  Azure.  At  the  camp  we  found  another  man,  like  the 
first  a  Mormon  and,  as  we  learned  later  by  intimate  acquaintance, 
both  of  fine  quality  and  sterling  merit.  The  supplies  Powell  had 
brought  were  three  hundred  pounds  of  flour,  some  jerked  beef, 
and  about  twenty  pounds  of  sugar,  from  a  town  on  the  Sevier 
called  Manti,  almost  due  west  of  our  position  about  eighty 
miles  in  an  air  line.  The  pack-train  having  failed  to  reach  the 
mouth  of  the  Dirty  Devil,  these  additional  rations  were  to 
carry  us  on  to  the  next  station,  the  Crossing  of  the  Fathers; 
but  they  were  not  enough.  The  other  man  with  Hamblin  was 
a  cousin  of  the  same  name,  and  when  they  rode  away  one 
evening  as  the  sun  was  going  down,  we  were  sorry  to  part  with 
them.  Their  course  lay  through  a  wild,  desolate  country,  but 
we  learned  later  that  they  had  no  trouble,  though  the  day  after 
leaving  us  they  ran  upon  a  large  camp  of  Utes.  Fortunately 
the  Utes  were  friendly. 


Drifting 


273 


For  our  part,  we  pushed  off  in  our  boats  and  headed  for  the 
Crossing  of  the  Fathers  with  some  misgivings  on  the  food 
question.  A  large  amount  of  mail  had  been  brought  in,  and 
we  enjoyed  the  newspapers,   although  they  were  weeks  old. 


Labyrinth  Canyon,  Trinalcove. 

Photograph  by  E.  O.  Beaman,  U.  S.  Colo.  Riv    Exp 

Some  monthly  magazines  were  a  great  boon.  For  a  time  the 
stream  was  placid,  allowing  us  to  tie  the  boats  together  and 
drift  again  for  a  little  while.  Thompson  and  the  Major  read 
aloud  from  Whittier,  the  men  sang  "Sweet  Evelina,"  and  all 
appreciated  the  opportunity  for  this  brief  relaxation.  Here 
18 


274 


The  Colorado  River 


and  there  evidences  of  crossings  were  not  ed,  for  it  was  in 
this  valley  that  Gunnison  went  over  on  the  trip  that  proved 
fatal  to  him,  and  here  for  years  the  Old  Spanish  Trail,  which 
Wolfskin  inaugurated,  led  many  eastward  and  westward,  while 
Utes  and  other  Amerinds  had  used  it  long  before  that.  In- 
deed, as  before  mentioned,  it  was  for  a  long  time  the  first 
locality,  coming  up  from  the  Grand  Wash,  where  the  stream 
could  easily  be  crossed ;  a  distance  of  about  six  hundred  miles. 
Many  strangely  eroded  cliffs  and  buttes  appeared  as  we  de- 
scended, and  one  of  these,  near  the  mouth  of  the  San  Rafael, 


Bonito  Bend,  between  Labyrinth  and  Stillwater  Canyons. 
Photograph  by  E.  O.  Beaman,  U.  S.  Colo.  Riv.  Exp 

was  named  after  me.  At  one  place  we  saw  some  springs  bub- 
bling up  from  the  bottom  of  an  inlet,  one  of  which  was  re- 
markable because  of  its  size  and  power.  Its  jet  was  five  or 
six  inches  in  diameter,  and  rose  six  or  eight  inches  above  the 
surface,  the  water  being  two  or  three  feet  in  depth.  They 
were  called  Undine  Springs.  At  the  San  Rafael  a  heavy  rain- 
storm came  up,  and  presently  we  detected  a  loud  roaring  we 
could  not  account  for.  At  last,  however,  it  was  discovered  to 
arise  from  the  accumulated  rain-water  which  was  pouring  over 
a  near-by  cliff  in  a  muddy  torrent.     The  whole  country  was 


Rain  Cascades 


275 


extremely  bare  and  barren,  mostly  rock,  and  the  rain  gathered 
as  on  the  roof  of  a  house.  The  river  had  narrowed  up  before 
we  reached  the  San  Rafael  and  had  entered  low,  broken  walls. 
The  current  was  rather  swift,  but  there  were  no  rapids.  As 
we  went  on,  the  sight  of  the  rain  cascades  falling  with  vary- 
ing volume  and  colour,  some  chocolate,  some  amber,  was  very 


The  Butte  of  the  Cross,  between  Labyrinth  and  Stillwater  Canyons. 

Photograph  by  E.  O.  Beaman,  U.  S.  Colo.  Riv.  Exp. 


beautiful.  They  continued  for  a  time  after  the  rain  had  ceased, 
and  then,  as  if  the  flood-gates  had  been  closed,  they  vanished, 
to  reappear  every  time  it  began  to  rain  afresh.  Before  long 
the  cliffs  had  reached  one  thousand  feet  in  altitude,  and  we 
were  fairly  within  Labyrinth  Canyon,  which  begins  its  exist- 
ence   at  the    mouth    of  the  San   Rafael.     Many    of  the    rain 


276  The  Colorado  River 

cascades  in  the  afternoon  of  this  day  were  perfectly  clear,  and 
often  fell  several  hundreds  of  feet,  vanishing  in  spray,  and  pre- 
senting^ varied  and  exquisite  effects  in  combination  with  the 
rich  tones  of  the  wet  brown  sandstone,  and  the  background 
of  dark  grey  sky.  They  ever  increased  in  number,  and  directly 
opposite  that  night's  camp  one  fell  straight  down  for  about  two 
hundred  feet,  disappeared  in  mist  to  gather  again  on  a  ledge 
below,  and  shot  out  once  more,  a  delicate  silvery  thread  against 
the  dark  mass  of  the  cliff.  The  next  day  we  passed  a  group 
of  three  canyons  entering  at  one  point,  to  which  the  name 
Trinalcove  was  given,  as  they  appeared  from  the  river  like 
alcoves  rather  than  canyons.  The  river  was  now  very  winding 
with  walls  frequently  vertical.  There  were  no  rapids,  though 
the  water  as  a  rule  moved  somewhat  swiftly.  The  days  were 
growing  short,  and  the  night  air  had  an  autumnal  chill  about 
it  that  made  the  camp-fire  comforting.  At  the  end  of  sixty- 
two  miles  the  walls  broke  up  into  buttes  and  pinnacles,  thou- 
sands of  them,  suggesting  immense  organs,  cathedrals,  and 
almost  anything  the  imagination  pictured.  One  resembling  a 
mighty  cross  lying  down  was  in  consequence  called  the  "Butte 
of  the  Cross."  '  This  was  practically  the  end  of  Labyrinth  Can- 
yon, and  sweeping  around  a  beautiful  bend,  where  the  rocks 
again  began  to  come  together,  we  were  in  the  beginning  of  the 
next  canyon  of  the  series,  two  years  before  named  Stillwater. 
At  the  suggestion  of  Beaman,  the  bend  was  called  Bonito.  On 
leaving  our  camp  at  this  place  the  walls  rapidly  ran  up,  the 
current  grew  swifter,  but  the  river  remained  smooth.  The 
canyon  was  exceedingly  "close,"  the  rocks  rising  vertically 
from  the  edge  of  the  water.  There  were  few  places  where  a 
landing  could  be  made,  but  luckily  no  landing  was  necessary, 
except  for  night.  The  darkness  fell  before  we  found  a  suitable 
camp-ground.  Some  of  our  supplies  had  now  to  be  used  with 
caution,  for  it  became  evident  that  we  would  run  short  of  food 
before  we  could  get  any  more. 

Long  ago,  no  one  knows  how  long,  we  might  have  been 
able  to  purchase  of  the  natives  who,  a  few  miles  below  this 
camp,  had  tilled  a  small  piece  of  arable  land  in  an  alcove. 
Small  huts  for  storage  were  found  there  in  the  cliffs,  and  on  a 

^  Actually  a  pinnacle  and  a  butte — not  a  single  mass. 


The  Junction  277 

promontory,  about  thirty  feet  above  the  water,  were  the  ruins  of 
stone  buildings,  one  of  which,  twelve  by  twenty  feet  in  dimen- 
sions, had  walls  still  standing  about  six  feet  high.  The 
canyon  here  was  some  six  hundred  feet  wide ;  the  walls  about 
nine  hundred  feet  high,  though  the  top  of  the  plateau  through 
which  the  canyon  is  carved  is  at  least  fifteen  hundred  feet 
above  the  river.  We  discovered  the  trail  by  which  the  old 
Puebloans  had  made  their  way  in  and  out.  Where  necessity 
called  for  it,  poles  and  tree-trunks  had  been  placed  against  the 
rocks  to  aid  the  climbers.  Some  of  our  party  trusted  them- 
selves to  these  ancient  ladders,  and  with  the  aid  of  a  rope  also, 
reached  the  summit. 

Beyond  this  place  of  ruins,  the  river  flowed  between  walls 
not  over  four  hundred  and  fifty  feet  apart  at  the  top.  The 
current  was  about  three  miles  an  hour,  with  scarcely  a  ripple, 
though  it  appeared  much  swifter  because  of  the  nearness  of 
the  cliffs.  At  the  end  of  seven  miles  of  winding  canyon,  there 
came  a  sharp  turn  to  the  east,  which  brought  into  view,  at  the 
other  end,  another  canyon  of  nearly  equal  proportions  and 
similar  appearance.  In  the  bottom  of  this  flowed  a  river  of 
almost  the  same  size  as  the  Green.  The  waters  of  the  two 
came  together  with  a  good  deal  of  a  rush,  the  commingling 
being  plainly  visible.  Neither  overwhelmed  the  other;  it  was 
a  perfect  union,  and  in  some  respects  it  is  quite  appropriate 
that  the  combined  waters  of  these  streams  should  have  a  special 
name  to  represent  them.  The  new  tributary  was  Grand  River, 
and  when  our  boats  floated  on  the  united  waters,  we  were  at 
last  on  the  back  of  the  Dragon.  Away  sped  the  current  of  the 
Colorado,  swirling  along,  spitefully  lashing  with  its  hungry 
tongue  the  narrow  sand-banks  fringing  the  rugged  shores,  so 
that  we  scarcely  knew  where  to  make  a  landing.  Finally  we 
halted  on  the  right,  constantly  watching  the  boats'  lines  lest 
the  sand  should  melt  away  and  take  our  little  ships  with  it. 
Along  the  bases  of  the  cliffs  above  the  high  waters  were  narrow 
strips  of  rocky  soil,  supporting  a  few  stunted  cottonwoods  and 
hackberry  trees,  which,  with  some  stramonium  bushes  in  blos- 
som, were  the  sum  total  of  vegetation.  In  every  way  the 
Junction  is  a  desolate  place.     It  is  the  beginning  of  Cataract 


278 


The  Colorado  River 


Canyon,  and  forty-one  miles  must  be  put  behind  us  before  we 
would  see  its  end — forty-one  miles  of  bad  river,  too.  From 
a  point  not  far  up  the  Green,  which  we  easily  reached  with 
a  boat,  a  number  climbed  out  by  means  of  a  cleft  about 
fifty  feet  wide,    taking  the   photographic   outfit    along.      The 


Head  of  Cataract  Canyon,  Looking    .  . :    in  Top  of  Walls  near  the 

Junction  of  the  Grand  and  Green. 

Depth,  1300  feet. 
Photograph  by  E   O.  Beaman,  U.  S.  Colo.  Riv.  Exp. 

country  above  was  a  maze  of  crevices,  pinnacles,  and  buttes, 
and  it  seemed  an  impossibility  for  any  human  being  to  travel 
more  than  a  few  hundred  yards  in  any  direction.  The  char- 
acter of  the  place  may  best  be  illustrated  by  stating  that 
Steward,  who  had  gone  up  by  a  different  route,  was  unable  to 
reach  us,  though  we  could  talk  to  him  across  a  fissure.     Many 


Cataracts  2  79 

of  these  breaks  could  be  jumped,  but  some  of  them  were  too 
wide  for  safety.  The  surface  was  largely  barren  sandstone, 
only  a  patch  of  sand  here  and  there  sustaining  sometimes  a 
bush  or  stunted  cedar.  It  is  the  Land  of  Standing  Rocks,  as 
the  Utes  call  it. 

The  supplies  were  now  gone  over  and  carefully  and  evenly 
divided,  so  that  an  accident  to  one  boat  should  not  cripple  us 
any  more  than  possible,  and  on  Tuesday,  the  19th  of  Septem- 
ber, our  bows  were  headed  down  the  Colorado.  A  few  miles 
below  the  Junction,  a  trail  was  seen  coming  down  a  canyon  on 
the  left,  showing  that  the  Utes  have  always  known  how  to  find 
the  place.  If  Macomb  had  been  properly  guided  he  could  have 
reached  it.  The  familiar  roar  of  rapids  soon  came  to  our  ears, 
and  thenceforth  there  was  no  respite  from  them.  The  first 
was  so  ugly  that  the  boats  were  lowered  by  lines,  the  second 
was  much  the  same,  and  then  we  reached  a  third  which  was 
even  worse.  The  water  was  now  growing  cold,  and  as  one's 
clothes  are  always  wet  when  running  rapids  or  portaging  on 
the  Colorado,  we  felt  the  effects  of  the  deep  shadows,  com- 
bined with  the  cold  drenchings.  Our  dinners  were  quickly  pre- 
pared, for  we  were  on  allowance  and  Andy  was  not  bothered 
with  trying  to  satisfy  our  appetites ;  he  cooked  as  much  as 
directed,  and  if  there  were  hungry  men  around  it  was  not  his 
fault.  We  all  felt  that  short  rations  were  so  much  ahead  of 
nothing  that  there  was  no  grumbling.  The  volume  of  water 
was  now  nearly  double  what  it  had  been  on  the  Green,  and 
the  force  of  the  rapids  was  greatly  augmented.  Huge  boulders 
on  the  bottom,  which  the  Green  would  have  turned  over  only 
once  or  twice,  here  were  rolled  along,  when  they  started,  for 
many  yards  sensible  to  not  the  eye  but  to  the  ear.  This  was  a 
distinct  feature  of  Cataract  Canyon  and  shows  the  declivity  to 
be  very  great  and  the  boulders  to  be  well  worn.  The  de- 
clivity for  a  few  miles  is  greater  than  in  Lodore,  perhaps  the 
greatest  on  the  river.  Sometimes  in  Cataract  the  rumble 
of  these  boulders  was  mistaken  for  distant  thunder.  At  one 
rapid  I  remember  that  a  rock  many  feet  square  was  swaying 
from  the  current.  After  dinner,  the  boats  were  lowered  over 
the  rapid,  fall,  cataract,  or  whatever  it  might  be  called,  before 


28o 


The  Colorado  River 


which  we  had  paused,  and  then  in  short  order  over  four  nnore 
tremendous  ones.  When  we  had  run  a  fifth,  in  which  we  re- 
ceived a  violent  shaking-up,  we  went  into  camp  on  the  left 
bank  at  the  head  of  another  roarer,  or  pair  of  them,  and  hast- 


.J 


^J 


1500  I'cet  dccjj — 20  feet  wide  at  bottom,  300  feet  at  top. 
Photograph  by  E.  O.  Beaman,  U.  S.  Colo.  Riv.  Exp. 

ened  to  throw  off  our  saturated  clothes  and  put  on  the  dry 
from  out  the  friendly  rubber  sacks.  I  never  before  understood 
the  comfort  of  being  dry.  The  topographers  recorded  a  good 
day's  work :  nine  miles  and  eight  powerful  cataracts.  Cataract, 
we  decided  was  the  proper  name  for  these  plunges,  for  though 


A  Runaway  Boat  281 

they  were  by  no  means  vertical,  they  were  more  violent  than 
what  is  ordinarily  called  a  rapid.  This  was  one  part  of  the 
canyons  where  White,  in  his  imaginary  journey,  found  an  easy 
passage!  The  next  day  Powell  took  me  with  him  on  a  climb 
to  the  top.  We  had  little  trouble  in  getting  out.  On  the  way 
back  the  Major's  cut-off  arm  was  on  the  rock  side  of  a  gulch 
we  had  followed  up,  and  I  found  it  necessary,  two  or  three 
times,  to  place  myself  where  he  could  step  on  my  knee,  as  his 
stump  had  a  tendency  to  throw  him  off  his  balance.  Had  he 
fallen  at  these  points  the  drop  would  have  been  four  hundred 
or  five  hundred  feet.  I  mention  this  to  show  how  he  never 
permitted  his  one-armed  condition  to  interfere  with  his  doing 
things.  The  walls  here  were  eighteen  hundred  feet,  a  gain  of 
three  hundred  feet  over  the  Junction.  While  we  were  away 
the  men  below  had  lowered  the  boats  over  two  rapids,  in  one 
of  which  the  Nell  broke  loose  and  went  down  alone  with  her 
cargo  on  board.  As  good  fortune  will  have  it,  there  is  fre- 
quently an  eddy  or  two  at  the  foot  of  a  rapid  and  into  one  of 
these  she  ran.  By  a  desperate  exertion  of  Hillers  in  swimming 
she  was  regained. 

A  boat  must  never  be  allowed  to  move  without  men  aboard 
or  lines  attached.  This  would  seem  to  go  without  saying,  but 
for  fear  it  does  not  I  mention  it  for  the  sake  of  any  who  may 
want  to  try  their  skill  at  this  work.  In  the  morning  there  was 
a  pleasant  smooth  stretch  for  some  distance,  but  it  was  soon 
passed,  and  cataract  followed  cataract  till  we  counted  ten. 
Seven  we  ran  with  exhilarating  speed ;  the  other  three  demand- 
ing more  respectful  treatment,  we  lowered  the  boats  by  lines, 
when  the  noon  hour  was  at  hand  and  a  halt  was  made  for  refresh- 
ments, five  miles  from  the  starting-point  of  the  morning.  As 
soon  as  we  had  consumed  the  allowance  of  bread,  bacon,  and 
coffee,  we  took  up  our  task  by  making  two  very  difificult  and 
tiring  let-downs;  that  is,  manceuvring  the  boats  in  and  out, 
among  and  over,  the  rocks  alongshore  by  lines,  with  one  or  two 
men  aboard,  always  on  the  lookout  to  prevent  being  caught  by 
outer  currents.  This  brought  us  face  to  face  with  a  furious  fall, 
but  one  that  seemed  free  from  obstructions,  and  the  order  was  to 
run  it.    Accordingly,  over  we  went,  the  boats  shipping  the  great 


282  The  Colorado  Riv^er 

seas  below  and  each  one  tapping  the  keel  on  a  submerged  rock 
at  the  start.  Owing  to  the  trend  of  the  canyon,  and  the  late- 
ness of  the  season,  the  sun  now  passed  early  from  sight,  the 
walls  throwing  the  bottom  of  the  gorge  into  deep  shadow  with 
a  wintry  chill  that  was  quickly  perceptible  to  us  in  our  wet 
clothing.  The  result  was  that  our  teeth  chattered  in  spite  of 
all  we  could  do  to  stop  the  uncomfortable  performance,  and  our 
lips  turned  blue.  To  be  soaked  all  day  long  near  the  end 
of  September,  in  our  climate,  is  not  an  agreeable  condition. 
Though  less  than  seven  miles  was  made  this  day  we  were 
forced  to  stop  when  the  shadow  fell  and  make  a  camp  at  the 
first  opportunity.  It  was  only  half-past  three  o'clock,  but  it 
had  been  sunset  to  us  for  half  an  hour.  Thus  each  working 
day  was  sadly  shortened,  for  even  where  the  bends  were  most 
favourable,  the  warm  sun  shone  upon  us  only  for  the  middle 
hours.  The  walls  were  close  together  and  very  straight ;  they 
grew  higher  and  more  threatening  with  every  mile  of  progress,  so 
that  it  seemed  as  if  another  day  or  two  would  shut  out  the  sun 
from  the  bottom  altogether.  On  account  of  our  limited  larder, 
if  for  no  other  reason,  we  were  obliged  to  push  ahead  as  rap- 
idly as  possible.  The  next  clay  we  were  at  it  early,  easily  run- 
ning the  first  cataract,  but  just  below  it  an  immediate  landing 
was  imperative  at  the  head  of  another  which  no  man  in  his 
senses  would  think  of  running.  Some  hard  work  put  us  below 
that,  and  then  came  one  far  worse.  The  morning  was  gone 
before  we  saw  its  foam  receding  behind  us.  The  following 
day,  on  summing  up,  after  much  severe  toil,  and  stopping  to 
repair  boats,  it  was  found  that  we  had  gone  only  a  mile  and  a 
half  I  At  this  rate,  we  thought,  when  would  we  see  the  end 
of  this  gorge?  But  in  the  morning  our  wet  clothes  were  put  on 
without  a  murmur  from  any  one,  and  once  more  we  renewed 
the  attack.  The  worst  fall  the  next  day  was  a  drop  of  about 
twenty  feet  in  twenty  yards ;  a  sharp  plunge  of  the  river  in  one 
mass.  As  it  seemed  free  from  rocks  in  the  middle  a  run  was 
decided  on.  We  therefore  pulled  squarely  into  it.  On  both 
sides  the  river  was  beaten  to  solid  foam  amongst  the  rocks, 
but  in  the  middle,  where  we  were,  there  was  a  clean  chute, 
followed  by  a  long  tail  of  ugly  waves.     We  were  entirely  sue- 


Vertical  Walls 


283 


cessful,  though  the  waves  broke  over  my  head  till  they  almost 
took  my  breath  away.  The  walls  reached  a  height  of  twenty- 
five  hundred  feet,  seeming  to  us  almost  perpendicular  on  both 
sides.  It  was  the  narrowest  deep  chasm  we  had  yet  seen,  and 
beneath  these  majestic  cliffs  we  ourselves  ajjpeared  mere  pig- 
mies, creeping  about  with  our  feeble  strength  to  overcome  the 
tremendous  difficulties.     The  loud  revsrberation  of  the  roaring 


Side  Canyon  of  Cataract  Canyon. 

See  figures  of  men,  centre  foreground  on  brink  of  lower  terrace. 
Photograph  by  E.  O.  Beaman,  U.  S.  Colo.  Riv.  Exp. 


water,  the  rugged  rocks,  the  toppling  walls,  the  narrow  sky, 
all  combined  to  make  this  a  fearful  place,  which  no  pen  can 
adequately  describe.  Another  day  the  Major  and  I  climbed 
out,  reaching  an  altitude,  some  distance  back  from  the  brink, 
of  3135  feet  above  the  river.  The  day  after  this  climb  the 
walls  ran  up  to  about  twenty-seven  hundred  feet,  appar- 
ently in  places  absolutely  vertical,  though  Stanton,  who  came 


284  The  Colorado  River 

through  here  in  1890,  said  he  did  not  think  they  were  anywhere 
perpendicular  to  the  top.  The  tongue  of  a  bend  we  found 
always  more  or  less  broken,  but  in  the  curve  the  cliffs  certainly 
had  all  the  effect  of  absolute  perpendicularity,  and  in  one  place 
I  estimated  that  if  a  rock  should  fall  from  the  brink  it  would 
have  struck  on  or  near  our  boat.  This  shows,  at  any  rate,  that 
the  walls  were  very  straight.  The  boats  seemed  mere  wisps  of 
straw  by  comparison,  and  once  when  I  saw  one  which  had 
preceded  ours,  lying  at  the  end  of  a  clear  stretch,  I  was  startled 
by  the  insignificance  of  the  craft  on  which  our  lives  depended. 
Beaman  tried  to  take  some  photographs  which  should  give 
this  height  in  full,  but  the  place  was  far  beyond  the  power  of 
any  camera.  In  this  locality  there  seemed  to  be  no  possibility 
of  a  man's  finding  a  way  to  the  summit.  I  concluded  that  at 
high  water  this  part  of  Cataract  Canyon  would  probably  anni- 
hilate any  human  being  venturing  into  it,  though  it  is  possible 
high  water  would  make  it  easier.  Where  there  was  driftwood 
it  was  in  tremendous  piles,  wedged  together  in  inextricable 
confusion ;  hundreds  of  tree-trunks,  large  and  small,  battered 
and  cut  and  limbless,  with  the  ends  pounded  into  a  spongy  lot 
of  splinters.  The  interstices  between  the  large  logs  were  filled 
with  smaller  stuff,  like  boughs,  railroad-ties,  and  pieces  of 
dressed  timber  which  had  been  swept  away  from  the  region 
above  the  Union  Pacific  Railway.  Picture  this  narrow  canyon 
twenty-seven  hundred  feet  deep,  at  high  water,  with  a  muddy 
booming  torrent  at  its  bottom,  sweeping  along  logs  and  all  kinds 
of  floating  debris,  and  then  think  of  being  in  there  with  a  boat ! 
We  proceeded  as  best  we  could  with  all  caution.  Every 
move  was  planned  and  carried  out  with  the  exactness  of  a 
battle;  as  if  the  falls  were  actual  enemies  striving  to  discover 
our  weakness.  One  practice  was  to  throw  sticks  in  above 
them,  and  thus  ascertain  the  trend  of  the  chief  currents,  which 
enabled  us  to  approach  intelligently.  The  river  here  was  not 
more  than  four  hundred  feet  wide.  As  we  continued,  the  can- 
yon finally  widened,  and  at  one  place  there  was  a  broad,  rocky 
beach  on  the  left.  The  opposite  wall  was  nearly  three  thou- 
sand feet  high.  Beaman,  by  setting  his  camera  far  back  on 
the  rocks,  was  able  to  get  a  view  to  the  top,  with  us  in  it  by  the 


Mighty  Cliffs 


285 


river,  while  we  were  trying  to  work  the  boats  past  a  rapid. 
This  photograph  is  reproduced  on  this  page,  and  the  figures, 
though  very  small,  may  be  plainly  seen.  Not  far  below  this 
the   walls   closed    in   aeain.      Powell   and    Thomn^on    tried   to 


Cataract  Canyon,  Right-hand  Wall  toward  Lower  End. 

Height  about  2700  feet.     Note  figures  of  men  near  edge  of  water,  lower  right- 
hand  corner.     They  show  as  very  small  upright  dark  lines. 
Photograph  by  E.  O.  Be.\man,  U.  S.  Colo.  Riv.  Exp. 

climb  out,  but  they  failed  on  the  first  trial  and  had  no  time  to 
make  a  fresh  start.  They  came  back  to  camp  and  as  soon  as  an 
■early  supper  was  over  we  started  on — about  five  o'clock.  The 
walls  ran  close  together  and  at  the  water  were  perfectly  vertical 


286  The  Colorado  River 

for  a  hundred  feet  or  so.  then  there  was  a  terrace.  As  we 
sailed  down,  the  river  was  suddenly  studded  with  pinnacles  of 
rock,  huge  boulders  or  masses  fallen  from  the  heights.  By 
steering  carefulh'  we  could  pass  among  these  and,  keeping  in 
the  dividing  line  of  the  current,  make  for  the  head  of  a  rocky 
island,  on  each  side  of  which  the  waters  plunged  against  the 
cliffs  with  great  force  as  they  dropped  away  to  a  lower  level. 
The  danger  lay  in  getting  too  far  over  either  way,  and  it  was- 
somewhat  difficult  to  dodge  the  pinnacles  and  steer  for  the 
island  at  the  same  time.  The  Cnnoiiita  went  on  the  wrong 
side  of  one,  and  we  held  our  breath,  for  it  seemed  as  if  she 
could  not  retrieve  her  position  in  the  dividing  current,  but  she 
did.  As  we  approached  the  head  of  the  island  our  keel  bumped 
several  times  on  the  rocks,  while  the  current  changed  from  the 
simple  dividing  line  and  ran  everywhere.  At  length  we  reached 
the  shallow  water,  and  as  the  keel  struck  gently  on  a  rock  we 
were  overboard,  soon  pulling  the  boat  on  the  island,  where  the 
others  quickly  followed.  By  hauling  the  craft  down  the  right- 
hand  side  for  about  half  the  island's  length,  we  were  able  to 
pull  directly  across  the  tail  of  waves  from  the  right-hand  rapid, 
and  avoid  being  swept  against  the  cliff  on  the  left  where  the 
whole  river  set.  So  close  did  every  boat  go  that  the  oars  on 
that  side  could  not  be  used  for  a  moment  or  two ;  and  then  we 
were  past.  At  a  higher  stage  of  water  this  place  would  be 
much  simpler.  The  river  became  serene;  night  was  falling;, 
we  drifted  on  with  the  current  till  a  roar  issuing  from  the  dark- 
ness ahead  admonished  us  to  halt.  Some  broken  rocks  on  the 
right  gave  a  footing  and  there  we  remained  till  morning.  In 
the  night  it  rained,  and  the  rain  continued  into  the  daylight  till 
cascades  came  leaping  and  plunging  from  everywhere  into  the 
canyon.  Two  of  these  opposite  our  camp  were  exceedingly 
beautiful.  One  was  about  two  feet  wide  and  the  other  five. 
For  one  thousand  feet  they  made  a  clear  plunge,  then  vanished 
in  spray,  feathery  and  beautiful.  These  rain  cascades  are  a 
delightful  feature  of  the  country  and  some  day  will  be  famous. 
Soon  Millecrag  Bend,  marking  the  end  of  Cataract  Canyon, 
came  in  sight.  The  walls  were  only  broken  by  a  deep  canyon 
valley  coming  in  on  the  left,  and  the  next  canyon,  Narrow,  thea 


The  San  Juan  287 

began,  but  it  was  not  one  with  difficult  waters,  and,  being  only 
nine  miles  in  length,  we  were  soon  through  it.  At  its  foot  was 
the  mouth  of  the  Dirty  Devil  and  the  beginning  of  Mound 
Canyon,  which  was  later  combined  with  Monument  under 
the  name  of  Glen. 

Our  rations  were  now  very  low.  For  some  time,  each  man 
had  been  allowed  for  a  meal,  only  a  thin  slice  of  bacon,  a  chunk 
of  bread  about  the  size  of  one's  fist,  and  all  the  coffee  he  de- 
sired. At  long  intervals  a  pot  of  Andy's  rare  bean-soup  was 
added  to  the  feast.  It  was  necessary,  therefore,  to  push  on 
with  all  haste,  or  we  would  be  starving.  The  Cafuviita  was 
consequently  taken  out  and  "cached  "  under  a  huge  rock  which 
had  fallen  against  the  cliff,  forming  a  natural  house.  Filling 
her  with  sand  to  keep  her  from  "drying  "  to  pieces  we  left  her, 
feeling  sure  the  party  which  was  to  come  after  her  the  next 
spring  would  find  her  safe.  She  was  forty  feet  above  low 
water.  We  now  went  ahead  with  good  speed,  leaving  as  much 
work  as  possible  for  the  prospective  Cafuviita  party  to  perform. 
All  through  Glen  Canyon  we  found  evidences  of  Puebloan  oc- 
cupation :  house  ruins,  storage  caves,  etc.  The  river  was  tame, 
though  the  walls,  about  one  thousand  to  sixteen  hundred  feet 
high,  were  beautiful,  and  often,  in  places,  vertical.  The  low 
stage  of  water  rendered  progress  somewhat  difficult  at  times,  but 
nevertheless  we  made  fairly  good  time  and  on  the  5th  of  Oc- 
tober passed  the  San  Juan,  a  shallow  stream  at  this  season, 
entering  through  a  wide  canyon  of  about  the  same  depth  as 
that  of  the  Colorado,  that  is,  about  twelve  hundred  or  fourteen 
hundred  feet.  A  short  distance  below  it  we  stopped  at  the 
Music  Temple,  where  the  Rowlands  and  Dunn  had  carved  their 
names.  Reaching  the  vicinity  of  Navajo  Mountain,  Powell 
thought  of  climbing  it,  but  an  inquiry  as  to  the  state  of  the 
larder  received  from  Andy  the  unpleasant  information  that  we 
were  down  to  the  last  of  the  supplies;  two  or  three  more  scant 
meals  would  exhaust  everything  edible  in  the  boats.  So  no  halt 
was  made.  On  the  contrary,  the  oars  were  plied  more  vigor- 
ously, and  on  the  6th  we  saw  a  burned  spot  in  the  bushes  on  the 
right, — there  were  alluvial  bottoms  in  the  bends, — and  though 
this  burned  spot  was  not  food,  it  was  an  indication  that  there 


m   i 


The  Last  Meal 


289 


were  human  beings  about ;  we  hoped  it  indicated  also  our  near 
approach  to  the  Crossing  of  the  Fathers.  Horses  and  men  had 
recently  been  there.  Noon  came  and  the  surroundings  were  as 
silent,  unbroken,  untrodden  as  they  had  been  anywhere  above 


\ 


^1^ 


mi 

Glen  Canyon  Wall. 

About  1200  feet  high.     Homogeneous  sandstone  on  top  of  thin  bedded  sandstone. 
Photograph  by  J.  Fennemore,  U.  S.  Colo.  Riv.  Exp. 


the  burned  spot.  Though  there  was  little  reason  for  it,  we 
halted  for  a  dinner  camp,  and  Andy  brought  out  a  few  last 
scraps  for  us  to  devour.  Hillers  threw  in  a  line  baited  with  a 
small  bit  of  bacon  and  pulled  out  a  fish,  then  a  second  and  sev- 
eral.     It  was  the  miracle  of  the  loaves  and  fishes  over  aeain ! 


2QO 


The  Colorado  River 


Bend  after  bend  was  turned  and  left  behind,  and  still  no  Cross- 
\n<^,  but  late  in  the  afternoon  a  shot  was  heard ;  then  we  saw  a 
white  rag  on  a  pole ;  then  we  landed  and  beheld  a  large  pile  of 


Glen  Canyon. 

Sandstone  wall  about  1200  feet  high. 

Photograph  by  J.  Fennemore,  U.  S.  Col.  Riv.  Exp. 


rations,  in  charge  of  three  men.  These  men,  Dodds,  Bonne- 
mort,  and  Riley,  as  we  were  days  overdue,  had  about  made 
up  their  minds  we  were  lost,  and  had  contemplated  depart- 
ing  in    the   morning  and    leavin^j  the   rations    to    their    fate. 


Full  Rations  Again 


291 


Riley  and  Bonnemort  were  prospectors,  who  remained  only 
to  see  us  and  make  some  inquiries  about  the  river  above. 
They    told    me    afterward    we    were    the    roughest  -  looking 


Glen  Canyon,  Sentinel  Rock. 

Between  the  Crossing  of  the  Fathers  and  Lee's  Ferry — about  300  feet  high. 
Photograph  by  E.  O.  Beaman,  U.  S.  Colo.  Riv.  Exp. 

set   of   men    they    had   ever  seen.     Our   clothes   were   about 
used  up. 

Powell  prepared  to  go  to  Salt  Lake,  about  five  hundred 
miles  away,  to  make  preparations  for  our  winter's  mountain 
work,  and  we  all  wrote  letters  to  send  out.     On  the  loth  of 


292  The  Colorado  River 

October  they  left  us,  Hillers  going  with  Powell,  while  we  were 
to  run  down  thirty-five  miles  farther  to  the  mouth  of  the  Paria, 
and  there  cache  the  two  boats  for  the  winter.  Steward  was 
now  taken  sick,  and  though  some  Navajos  who  came  along 
kindly  offered  to  carry  him  with  them  to  Kanab,  he  preferred 
to  stay  with  us,  so  we  stretched  him  out,  during  our  runs,  on 
one  of  the  cabins.  This  was  not  entirely  comfortable  for  him, 
but  the  river  was  smooth  and  easy  as  far  as  the  Paria,  so  there 
was  no  danger  of  spilling  him  off,  and  he  got  on  fairly  well. 
At  the  Paria,  Jones,  who  had  made  a  misstep  in  one  of  the  boats 
at  the  Junction  and  injured  one  leg,  developed  inflammatory 
rheumatism  in  it,  and  also  in  the  other.  Andy  at  Millecrag 
Bend  had  put  on  his  shoe  wuth  an  unseen  scorpion  in  it,  the  sting 
of  which  caused  him  to  grow  thin  and  pale.  Bishop's  old 
wound  troubled  him  ;  Beaman  and  \V.  C.  Powell  also  felt  "under 
the  weather,"  so  that  of  the  whole  party  left  here,  Thompson 
and  I  were  the  only  ones  who  remained  entirely  well.  Arriving 
at  the  Paria,  we  hid  the  boats  for  the  winter,  and  waited  for 
the  pack-train  that  was  to  bring  us  provisions,  and  take  us 
out  to  Kanab,  which  would  be  headquarters.  The  pack-train, 
however,  was  misled  by  a  man  who  pretended  to  be  acquainted 
with  the  trail,  and  we  ate  up  all  the  food  we  had  before  it  ar- 
rived. It  came  over  an  extraordinary  path.  Lost  on  top  of 
the  Paria  Plateau,  it  was  only  able  to  reach  us  by  the  discovery 
of  a  singular  old  trail  coming  down  the  two-thousand-foot  cliffs 
three  miles  up  the  Paria.  While  waiting  we  had  examined  the 
immediate  neighbourhood  and  had  climbed  to  the  summit  of 
some  sandstone  peaks  on  the  left,  where  the  wall  of  Glen  Can- 
yon breaks  away  to  the  southward.  The  view  w^as  superb. 
Mountains,  solid  and  solitary,  rose  up  here  and  there,  and  lines 
of  cliffs,  strangely  coloured,  stretched  everywhere  across  the 
wide  horizon,  while  from  our  feet,  like  a  veritable  huge  writhing 
dragon.  Marble  Canyon  zigzagged  its  long,  dark  line  into  the 
blue  distance,  its  narrow  tributaries  looking  like  the  monster's 
many  legs.  I  took  it  into  my  head  to  try  to  shoot  from  there 
into  the  water  of  Glen  Canyon  beneath  us,  and  borrowed 
Bishop's  44-calibre  Remington  revolver  for  the  purpose.  When 
I  pulled  the  trigger  I  was  positively  startled  by  the  violence  of 


Naming  Echo  Peaks 


293 


the  report,  a  deafening  shock  Hke  a  thousand  thunder-claps  in 
one ;  then  dead  silence.  Next,  from  far  away  there  was  a  rattle 
as  of  musketry,  and  peal  after  peal  of  the  echoing  shot  came 
back  to  us.  The  interval  of  silence  was  timed  on  another  trial 
and  was  found  to  be  exactly  twenty  seconds.'  The  result  was 
always  the  same,  and  from  this  unusual  echo  we  named  the 
place  Echo  Peaks. 

I  had  made  Jones  a  pair  of  crutches,  by  means  of  which  he 
was  able  to  hobble  painfully  around,  and  by  the  time  the  pack- 
train  was  ready  to  start  for  the  settlement,  about  one  hundred 
miles  away,  he  could  bear  being  lifted  upon  a  horse.  Steward, 
also,  was  able  to  ride,  and  with  a  number  of  us  walking  we  left 
the  Paria  behind. 

November's  sharp  days  were  upon  us.  We  had  only  the 
remains  of  our  summer  clothing  and  few  blankets,  so  that  when 
the  thermometer  registered  11°  F.  above  zero  we  did  not  dis- 
pute it. 

'  should  be  twenty-four  seconds. 


CHAPTER    XII 

Into  the  Jaws  of  the  Dragon — A  Useless  Experiment — Wheeler  Reaches  Diamond 
Creek  Going  Up-stream — The  Hurricane  Ledge — Something  about  Names — 
A  Trip  from  Kanab  through  Unknown  Country  to  the  Mouth  of  the  Dirty 
Devil. 

WHILE  our  party,  in  September,  was  battling  with  the 
cataracts,  another,  as  we  afterwards  learned,  was  starting 
from  Camp  Mohave  on  a  perilous,  impracticable,  and  needless 
expedition  up  the  Colorado.  How  far  this  party  originally  ex- 
pected to  be  able  to  proceed  against  the  tremendous  obstacles 
I  hav^e  never  understood,  but  the  after-statement  mentions 
Diamond  Creek  as  the  objective  point.  That  such  a  wild, 
useless,  and  costly  struggle  should  have  been  allowed  by  the 
War  Department,  which  authorised  it,  seems  singular,  more 
particularly  as  little  new  was  or  could  be,  accomplished  by 
it.  The  War  Department  must  have  known  that  Powell,  two 
years  before,  had  descended  the  river  from  Wyoming  to  the 
mouth  of  the  Virgen,  and  that  he  was  now  more  than  half-way 
down  the  river  on  his  second,  more  detailed  exploration,  au- 
thorised and  paid  for  by  the  Government.  Lieutenant  Ives 
had  also  years  before  completely  explored  as  high  as  the  Vegas 
Wash,  and  there  were  therefore  only  the  few  miles,  about 
twenty-five,  between  that  Wash  and  the  mouth  of  the  Virgen, 
which  might  technically  be  considered  unexplored,  though  only 
technically,  for  several  parties  had  passed  over  it.  Then  why 
was  this  forlorn  hope  inaugurated?  What  credit  could  any  one 
expect  to  obtain  by  bucking  for  miles  up  the  deep,  dangerous 
gorge  filled  with  difficult  rapids,  which  Powell  had  found  haz- 
ardous and  well-nigh  impossible,  coming  down  with  the  cur- 

2g4 


Wheeler's  Expedition 


295 


rent?  The  leader  of  this  superfluous  endeavour  was  Lieutenant 
Wheeler,  of  the  Topographical  Engineers,  who  had  been  roam- 
ing the  Western  country  for  several  years  with  a  large  escort. 
For  some  reason,  Wheeler  seems  to  have  been  disinclined  to 
give  Powell  credit  for  his  masterly  achievement.      On  the  map 


The  Grand  Canyon. 

Cliffs  opposite  the  mouth  of  Diamond  Creek.     The  highest  point 

visible  is  about  3500  feet  above  the  river. 

Photograph  by  T.  H.  O'Sullivan,  Wheeler  Exp. 

published  in  his  Report,  under  the  date  1879,  ^'-'^^  years  after 
Poivcirs  trhimpJi,  he  omits  his  name  entirely,  and  he  also  fails 
to  give  Ives  credit  on  the  river,  though  he  records  his  land  trail. 
In  the  text  I  fail  to  find  any  mention  of  Powell  in  the  regular 
order,  and  only  towards  the  end  of  the  volume  under  a  differ- 
ent heading.  As  the  book  gives  an  admirable  and  detailed  re- 
view of  explorations  in  the  West,  one  is  completely  at  a  loss 


296  The  Colorado  River 

to  understand  the  omission  of  credit  to  two  of  the  most  dis- 
tinguished explorers  of  all.  Wheeler  accepted  White's  story 
because  one  of  his  men  who  knew  White  at  Camp  Mohave, 
"corroborated  "  it.  How  could  a  man  who  knew  nothing" 
about  the  canyons  give  testimony  worth  consideration,  for  or 
against?  Wheeler  had  also  been  informed  by  O.  D.  Gass,  who, 
witii  three  others,  had  worked  his  way  up  the  Grand  Canyon 
some  few  miles  in  1864,  that  in  his  opinion  it  was  impossible  to 
go  farther  than  he  had  gone.  Yet  White  had  reported  this 
whole  gorge  as  having  only  smooth  water;  his  difficulties  had 
all  ended  at  the  mouth  of  the  Little  Colorado.  Gass's  experi- 
ence was  worth  a  good  deal  as  a  gauge  of  White's  story,  and 
it  proved  the  story  false.  But  Wheeler  did  not  so  consider  it, 
and  therefore  prepared  to  make  the  attempt  to  go  beyond 
Gass.  The  latter  was  about  right  in  considering  it  impossible 
to  go  above  his  highest  point,  but  when  Wheeler  found  himself 
trapped  in  the  chasm,  he  was  desperate,  and,  being  at  the  time 
favoured  by  a  low  stage  of  water,  he  finally  managed  to  get 
through. 

Wheeler's  boats  were  built  in  San  Francisco  and  sent  by 
way  of  the  mouth  of  the  Colorado  to  Camp  Mohave.  No 
details  are  given  of  their  construction,  but  from  Dr.  Gilbert  I 
learn  that  they  were  flat-bottomed.  They  were  apparently 
about  eighteen  feet  long.  See  page  302.  There  were  three, 
and  in  addition  a  barge  was  taken  from  the  quartermaster's 
department  at  Camp  Mohave.  There  were  two  land  parties 
with  supplies,  and  the  river  party,  the  latter  composed  of 
the  following  persons:  First  Lieutenant  George  M.  Wheeler, 
U.  S.  Topographical  Engineers;  G.  K.  Gilbert,  geologist;  W. 
J.  Hoffman,  naturalist;  P.  W.  Hamel,  topographer;  T.  H. 
O'Sullivan,  photographer;  E.  M.  Richardson,  assistant  to- 
pographer and  artist;  Frank  Hecox,  barometrical  assistant; 
Frederick  W.  Loring,  general  assistant;  six  boatmen,  six  sol- 
diers (one  sergeant  and  five  privates  from  Co.  G,  12th  Infantry, 
stationed  at  Mohave)  and  "Captain"  Asquit,  and  thirteen 
other  Mohaves — in  all  thirty-four.  It  was  the  fate  of  three  of 
these,  after  escaping  from  the  dangers  of  the  great  chasm,  to 
be  killed  by  an  attack  of  Apaches  on  the  Wickenburg  stage. 


Wheeler's  Party 


297 


These  were  Loring,  Hamel,  and  Salmon.  Loring  was  a  bril- 
liant young  literary  man  from  Boston,  whose  career  was  thus 
sadly  ended. 

The  boats  appear  not  to  have  been  regularly  named,  though 
two  of  them,  at  least,  received  titles  before  long,  one,  the  boat 
Gilbert  was  in,  being  called  the  Trilobitc,  and  the  other,  the 
photographic  boat,  was  termed  the  Picture.  Leaving  Mohave 
on  September  i6th  (1871)  they  proceeded  with  little  difficulty 
by  towing  and  row- 
ing, as  far  as  Ives 
had  taken  the  Ex- 
plorer, to  the  foot 
of  Black  Canyon. 
From  here  the 
work  was  harder, 
but  by  the  i8th 
they  had  arrived  in 
the  heart  of  this 
canyon.  The  rap- 
ids were  now  more 
severe,  but  as  Ives 
had  gone  up  easily, 
and  also  Johnson 
with  his  steam- 
boat, and  Rodgers 
with  his,  there  was 
nothing  to  prevent 
the  ascent   of  this 

party.  On  the  tenth  day,  therefore,  they  passed  Fortification 
Rock  and  reached  Las  Vegas  Wash,  the  termination  of  the 
Ives  exploration.  From  here  to  the  mouth  of  the  Virgen  was 
the  stretch  that  had,  technically,  never  been  explored,  though 
it  had  been  traversed,  at  least,  several  times.  There  is  one 
small  canyon  in  the  distance,  called  Boulder.  Passing  the 
mouth  of  the  Virgen,  Wheeler  entered  the  canyon  through  the 
Virgen  Mountains,  and  this  he  named  Virgin  Canyon  because, 
as  he  says,  it  was  his  "first  canyon  on  entirely  new  ground." 
I  am  at  a  loss  to  understand  his  meaning.     If  he  intended  to 


The  Beginning  of  a  Natural  Arch. 
Photograph  by  C.  R.  Savage. 


298  The  Colorado  River 

convey  the  impression  that  he  was  the  first  to  traverse  this 
portion,  it  is  an  unwarranted  assumption,  and  must  be  em- 
phatically condemned.  Powell  had  descended  as  far  as  the 
Virgen,  and  thus  Wheeler  was  simply  following  his  course 
backwards. 

Passing  through  another  small  unnamed  canyon,  to  which  he 
applied  the  term  Iceberg  on  account  of  the  contour  of  its  north- 
ern walls,  he  finally,  on  October  3d,  came  to  the  Grand  Wash, 
On  the  next  day  the  Ute  Crossing  near  the  beginning  of  the 
Grand  Canyon  was  reached.  Two  or  three  days  before  this  he 
could  see  what  seemed  to  be  a  high  range  of  mountains  appa- 
rently perpendicular,  which  was,  as  he  surmised,  the  foot  of  the 
Grand  Canyon.  Progress  was  now  very  slow,  for  the  river  was 
swifter  than  it  had  been  below.  Perceiving  the  impossibility  of 
taking  such  a  craft  farther,  the  barge  was  left  behind  at  the  Cross- 
ing, to  form  a  base  of  supplies  in  case  the  difficulties  of  ascending 
necessitated  falling  back.  Relief  parties  from  the  rendezvous 
at  Truxton  Springs  were  to  go,  one  to  the  mouth  of  the  can- 
yon and  the  other  to  the  mouth  of  Diamond  Creek,  about 
thirty-five  miles  distant  from  the  Springs,  but  the  situation 
was  complicated  by  these  parties  having  no  orders  to  wait  at 
these  points.  Putting  all  of  his  land  force  who  were  at  the 
canyon  mouth  on  the  south  side  of  "this  turbid,  unmanageable 
stream,"  and  picking  three  crews  of  nine  persons  each,  with 
rations  for  fifteen  days,  he  was  ready  to  go  ahead  with  this 
unwise  enterprise,  "imagining,"  as  he  admits,  "but  few  of  the 
many  difficulties  that  were  to  be  met."  It  was  on  October  7th 
that  they  entered  the  mouth  of  the  great  gorge.  At  length 
"a  full  view,  magnificent  beyond  description,  of  the  walls  of 
the  Grand  Canyon  "  was  had,  and  they  were  fairly  on  the  road ; 
as  rough  a  road,  going  down,  as  one  can  well  imagine,  but  go- 
ing up  in  the  teeth  of  the  torrential  rapids,  hemmed  in  by  close 
granite  walls,  it  is  about  as  near  the  impossible  as  anything  that 
is  not  absolutely  so  could  be.  Wheeler  certainly  deserves 
credit  for  one  thing  in  this  haphazard  affair,  and  that  is  for  a 
splendid  courage  and  abundant  nerve,  in  which  he  was  well 
supported  by  Gilbert's  cool  fortitude  and  indomitable  spirit. 
Once  when  I  was  discussing  this  journey  with  Stanton,  who, 


A  Boat  Swamped  299 

at  a  later  period,  came  down  the  gorge,  he  would  hardly  admit 
that  Wheeler  actually  did  reach  Diamond  Creek :  he  thought 
the  ascent  impossible.  The  second  day  in  the  canyon  five 
rapids  were  passed  within  two  miles,  and,  on  the  next,  nine 
were  overcome  before  noon,  and  before  sunset,  fifteen,  show- 
ing that  the  party  were  working  with  all  the  nerve  and  muscle 
they  possessed.  On  this  day  they  passed  the  monument  Gass 
and  his  companions  had  erected  at  their  farthest  point  in  1864. 
The  rapids  were  now  "more  formidable"  than  any  yet  seen, 
and  Wheeler  was  "satisfied  "  that  no  one  had  ever  gone  higher. 
This  was  true,  and  it  is  probable  no  one  will  ever  try  to  go  up 
this  portion  again.  The  way  to  make  the  passage  is  from 
above,  the  work  being  less  and  the  danger  no  greater.  Wher- 
ever a  portage  can  be  made  going  up  it  can  also  be  made  going 
down.  The  river  was  compressed  to  seventy-five  feet  in  one 
place  on  this  day.  On  the  loth  they  made  about  five  miles, 
and  met  with  a  serious  accident :  two  of  the  boats  were  carried 
back  over  a  rapid,  but  were  luckily  secured  again  without  hav- 
ing suffered  damage.  The  declivity  was  now  very  great,  and 
the  stream  flowed  along  between  solid  granite,  where  footing 
was  both  difficult  and  dangerous,  and  pulling  the  boats  up  over 
the  rocks  taxed  the  combined  strength  of  the  crews.  Every- 
thing had  to  be  unloaded  at  one  bad  place  and  the  first  boat 
was  nearly  swamped.  All  could  not  be  taken  up  before  dark, 
so  a  "dreary  camp  is  made  among  the  debris  of  the  slopes, 
where,  cuddled  up  Indian-fashion,  the  weary  hours  of  the 
night  are  passed."  The  labour  was  tremendous,  and  two  of 
the  party  became  ill :  one,  a  Mohave,  who  was  badly  bruised  by 
being  thrown  upon  the  rocks.  Wheeler  now  began  to  despair 
of  reaching  Diamond  Creek,  and  well  he  might,  but  he  con- 
cluded that  he  could  get  there  if  the  men  and  the  boats  would 
but  hold  together.  The  next  day,  another  series  of  rapids 
was  surmounted,  and  then  came  a  particularly  bad-looking  one. 
The  first  boat  was  filled  instantly  with  water,  swamped,  and 
thrown  back  against  the  rocks  "almost  a  perfect  wreck,  and 
its  contents  were  washed  down  below  the  overhanging  rocks." 
A  package  of  Wheeler's  valuable  papers  was  lost,  also  a  lot  of 
■expensive  instruments,  the  astronomical  and   meteorological 


".oo 


The  Colorado  River 


observations,  and  the  entire  cargo  of  rations.  This  was  a  dis- 
couraging disaster,  and  came  near  compelling  the  retreat  of  the 
whole  party.      Darkness  came  on,  and  they  were  obliged  tO' 


The  Grand  Canyon. 

Near  mouth  of  Diamond  Creek. 
Photograph  by  T.  H.  O'Sullivan,  Wheeler  Exp. 

drop  back  about  half  a  mile  to  make  a  camp.  Wheeler  was- 
weary  and  dispirited,  though  he  maintained  an  outward  show 
of  cheerfulness  toward  the  men,   and  the   next   morning  the 


Shadow  of  Starvation  301 

Dragon  was  faced  again.  They  tried  to  find  some  remnant  of 
the  lost  cargo,  but  it  had  completely  vanished.  Everything 
had  been  swept  away  forever.  All  the  party  were  despondent, 
one  boat  was  badly  damaged,  and  the  diminution  of  the  ra- 
tions made  the  outlook  gloomy.  The  damaged  boat  was 
therefore  sent  with  a  crew  back  to  the  place  at  the  mouth  of 
the  canyon  where  the  barge  had  been  left.  With  the  excep- 
tion of  Wheeler  and  Gilbert  none  of  the  party  believed  the 
cataracts  now  ahead  could  be  surmounted. 

"Mr.  Gilbert  and  myself,"  writes  Wheeler,  "propose  to  reas- 
sure the  men  by  taking  the  first  boat  across  the  rapids.  Portage  of 
the  stores  is  made  to  the  wash  at  the  head  of  the  rapids,  which  con- 
sumes the  greater  share  of  the  day,  and  half  an  hour  before  twilight 
a  rope  is  stretched  and  the  emergency  prepared  for.  The  entire 
force  is  stationed  along  the  line,  and  the  cast-off  is  made.  In  five 
minutes  the  worst  part  of  the  rapid  is  over,  and  just  as  the  sun  sinks 
gloomily  behind  the  canyon  horizon,  the  worst  rapid  is  triumphantly 
passed  amid  the  cheers  and  exultations  of  every  member  of  the 
party." 

The  following  day,  October  13th,  they  reached  the  narrowest 
part  of  the  river,  a  channel  less  than  fifty  feet  wide,  but  the 
canyon  on  top  is,  of  course,  very  broad.  With  many  portages 
and  other  arduous  toil  the  party  slowly  climbed  up  the  river, 
sometimes  making  less  than  three  miles,  sometimes  a  little 
more.  The  rapids  grew  worse  and  worse,  and  the  smooth 
stretches  in  between  shorter  and  shorter.  On  the  15th  Gil- 
bert's boat  broke  away,  and  he  and  Hecox  were  swept  so  far 
down  the  stream  that  the  rest  could  not  reach  them.  They 
were  obliged  to  remain  where  they  were  through  the  night 
with  nothing  to  eat.  The  main  camp  was  at  a  place  where 
there  was  barely  room  for  the  men  to  sleep  amongst  the  rocks. 
They  were  all  gloomy  enough,  and  starvation  was  beginning  to 
show  its  dreaded  shadow  amidst  the  spray.  On  the  i6th  they 
were  compelled  to  carry  the  tow-line  fully  a  hundred  feet  above 
the  water  to  get  it  ahead.  At  another  portage  the  rope  broke 
and  the  boat  was  instantly  thrown  out  into  the  rapid  by  the 
fierce  current.      Fortunately  she  was  not  capsized,   and  they 


102 


The  Colorado  River 


managed  again  to  secure  her  and  make  a  second  attempt,  which 
succeeded.  Climbing  to  the  top  of  the  granite  they  discovered 
it  was  comparatively  level,  and  they  believed  they  could  travel 
o\cr  it,  if  necessary,  as  far  as  Diamond  Creek.  The  rations  for 
some  time  had  to  be  dealt  out  on  allowance,  and  at  night,  for 
safety,  Wheeler  put  the  entire  stock  under  his  head  as  a  pillow. 
On  the  17th  they  met  with  particularly  bad  rapids,  one  with  a 
fall  of  ten  and  a  half  feet  where  the  river  was  only  thirty-five 
feet  wide.  The  force  of  such  pent-up  waters  may  be  imagined. 
The  party  had  here  one  advantage  over  the  river  farther  north, 


The  Crew  of  the  "  Trilobite." 

At  the  mouth  of  Diamond  Creek. 
Photograph  by  T.  H.  O'Sullivan,  Wheeler  Exp. 


at  this  season ;  it  was  much  warmer  in  this  part  of  the  Grand 
Canyon. 

"Each  day,"  writes  Wheeler  of  this  portion,  "seems  like  an 
age,  and  the  danger  of  complete  disaster  stares  one  so  plainly 
in  the  face  that  a  state  of  uneasiness  naturally  prevails."  On 
the  1 8th,  at  one  of  the  descents,  a  boat  was  again  torn  loose, 
and  Gilbert  and  Salmon  were  thrown  into  the  raging  waters. 
They  fortunately  succeeded  in  getting  out,  and  the  party  pushed 
ahead,  making  three  and  one-half  miles.  The  boats  were  now 
in  a  dilapidated  condition,  leaking  badly.  On  October  19th 
two  messengers  were  started,  by  way  of  the  summit  of  the 
granite,  to  Diamond  Creek  to  catch  the  relief  party  there,  and 


Success  303 

return  with  some  food.  Meanwhile  Wheeler  planned,  if  no- 
relief  came,  to  abandon  the  river  on  the  22nd,  but  on  the  even- 
ing of  that  same  day,  having  made  six  miles  up  the  river,  the 
party  had  the  joy  of  finally  reaching  Diamond  Creek  with  the 
two  boats.  Wheeler  had  succeeded  in  a  well-nigh  hopeless 
task.  "The  land  party  had  left  at  ten  in  the  morning,"  so 
Gilbert  writes  me,  "and  their  camp  was  reached  by  our  mes- 
sengers on  foot  at  I  P.M.  These  facts  were  announced  to  us 
by  a  note  one  of  our  messengers  sent  down  the  river  on  a 
float."  A  number  of  the  boat  party  were  then  sent  out  to  the 
rendezvous  camp,  while  the  remainder  turned  about  and  began 
the  perilous  descent,  having  now  to  do  just  what  would  have 
been  necessary  if  the  start  had  been  made  from  Diamond 
Creek.  Mohave  was  reached  in  safety  on  the  evening  of  the 
fifth  day,  whereas  it  had  required  about  four  weeks  of  ex- 
tremely hard  work  to  make  the  same  distance  against  the  cur- 
rent. This  is  all  the  comment  necessary  on  the  two  methods. 
The  whole  party  that  reached  Diamond  Creek  was  as  follows : 
Lieutenant  Wheeler,  G.  K.  Gilbert,  P.  W.  Hamel,  T.  H. 
O'Sullivan,  E.  M.  Richardson,  Frank  Hecox,  Wm.  George 
Salmon,  R.  W.  James,  Thos.  Hoagland,  George  Phifer,  Wm. 
Roberts,  Privates  Drew,  Flynn,  and  Keegan,  and  six  Mohaves, 
making  twenty  in  all. 

"The  exploration  of  the  Colorado  River,"  says  Wheeler, 
"may  now  be  considered  complete."  The  question  may  fairly 
be  asked.  Why  was  the  exploration  now  any  more  complete 
than  it  was  before  Wheeler  made  this  unnecessary  trip?  Powell, 
two  years  before,  had  been  through  the  part  ascended,  and 
Wheeler,  so  far  as  I  can  determine,  added  little  of  value  to  what 
was  known  before.  If  he  thought  Powell  had  not  completed 
the  work  of  exploration,  as  his  words  imply,  the  exploration 
was  still  not  complete,  for  there  remained  the  distance  to  the 
Little  Colorado,  and  to  the  Paria,  and  so  on  up  to  the  source 
of  the  river,  which  Wheeler  had  not  been  over.  If  he  accepted 
Powell's  exploration  above  Diamond  Creek,  why  did  he  not  ac- 
cept it  below?  His  nerve  and  pluck  in  accomplishing  the  ascent 
to  Diamond  Creek  deserve  great  praise,  but  the  trip  itself 
cannot  be  considered  anything  but  a  needless  waste  of  energy. 


304 


The  Colorado  River 


Meanwhile,  as  noted  in  the  last  chapter,  our  own  party  had 
passed  the  Crossing  of  the  Fathers,  had  arrived  at  the  mouth 
of  the  Paria,  and,  according  to  our  plans,  had  cached  our  boats 
there  for  the  winter  while  we  proceeded  to  inaugurate  our 
land  work  of  triangulation.  A  number  of  us  were  left  for 
a  while  in  camp  in  a  valley  lying  between  the  Kaibab  Plateau, 
then  called  Buckskin  Mountain,  and  what  is  now  called  Paria 
Plateau,  at  a  spring  in  a  gulch  of  the  Vermilion  Cliffs.     Two 


The  Dining-table  in  Camp. 

Dutch  oven,  left  foreground. 

Photograph  by  F.  S.  Dellenbaugh. 

large  rocks  at  this  place  had  fallen  together  in  such  a  way  that 
one  could  crawl  under  for  shelter.  This  was  on  the  old  trail 
leading  from  the  Mormon  settlements  to  the  Moki  country, 
travelled  about  once  a  year  by  Jacob  Hamblin  and  a  party  on 
a  trading  expedition  to  the  other  side  of  the  river.  Somebody 
on  one  of  these  trips  had  taken  refuge  beneath  this  rock,  and 
on  departing  had  written,  in  a  facetious  mood,  along  the  top 
with  a  piece  of  charcoal,  "Rock  House  Hotel."  Naturally, 
in  referring  to  the  spring  it  was  called,  by  the  very  few  who 


Some  New  Names 


6^:) 


knew  it,  Rock  House  Spring,  and  then  the  spring  where  the 
House  Rock  was,  or  House  Rock  Spring.  From  this  came 
House  Rock  Valley,  and  the  name  was  soon  a  fixture,  and 
went  on  our  maps.  And  thus  easily  are  names  established  m 
a  new  country.  All  around  were  evidences  of  former  occupa- 
tion by  the  Puebloans,  and  I  became  greatly  interested  in  ex- 
amining the  locality.  At  length,  we  were  ordered  across  the 
Kaibab  to  the  vicinity  of  Kanab,  and  I  shall  never  fail  to  see 
distinctly  the  wonderful  view  from  the  summit  we  had  of  the 
bewildering  cliff-land  leading  away  northward  to  the  Pink 
Cliffs.  The  lines  of  cliffs  rose  up  like  some  giant  stairway, 
while  to  the  south-eastward  the  apparently  level  plain  was 
separated  by  the  dark  line  of  Marble  Canyon.  On  top  of  the 
plateau,  which  was  covered  with  a  fine  growth  of  tall  pines, 
we  came  about  camping  time  to  a  shallow,  open  valley,  where 
we  decided  to  stay  for  the  night.  As  it  was  on  the  top  of  the 
mountain  Bishop  recorded  it  in  his  notes  as  Summit  Valley, 
and  so  it  ever  afterward  remained.  There  was  no  spring,  but 
a  thin  layer  of  snow  eked  out  the  water  we  had  brought  in  kegs 
on  the  packs,  and  we  and  the  animals  were  comfortable  enough. 
The  trail  had  not  been  travelled  often,  and  was  in  places  very 
dim,  but  we  succeeded  in  following  it  without  delay.  The 
Kaibab,  still  frequently  called  the  Buckskin  Mountain,  must 
have  received  this  first  name  from  its  resemblance  to  a  buck- 
skin stretched  out  on  the  ground.  The  similarity  is  quite 
apparent  in  the  relief  map  opposite  page  41.  As  it  was  the 
home  of  the  Kaibab  band  of  Pai  Utes,  Powell  decided  to  re- 
name it  after  them.  We  arrived  within  eight  miles  of  Kanab, 
where  we  made  a  headquarters  camp  at  a  fine  spring,  and  trips 
from  here  and  from  a  camp  made  later  nearer  Kanab  were 
extended  into  the  surrounding  country.  The  Mormons  had  a 
year  or  two  before  come  out  from  the  St.  George  direction  and 
established  this  new  settlement  of  Kanab,  composed  then  of  a 
stockaded  square  of  log  houses  and  some  few  neat  adobe  houses 
outside  ;  about  fifty  in  all.  The  settlement  was  growing  strong 
enough  to  scatter  itself  somewhat  about  the  site  marked  off  for 
the  future  town.  One  of  the  first  things  the  Mormons  always 
did  in  establishing  a  new  settlement  was  to  plant   fruit  and 


3o6 


The  Colorado  River 


shade  trees,  and  vines,  and  the  like,  so  that  in  a  very  few 
years  there  was  a  condition  of  comfort  only  attained  by  a  non- 
Mormon  settlement  after  the  lapse  of  a  quarter  of  a  century. 

In  the  valley  below  Kanab  a  base  line  was  measured  nine 
miles  long,  and  from  this  starting-point  our  work  of  triangu- 
lating the  country  was  carried  on.  Trips  with  pack-trains  to 
establish  geodetic   stations  and  examine  the  lay  of  the  land 


Renshawe.  Riley,  Dellenbaug 


Winter  Headquarters  at  Kanab,  1872-3.     U.  S.  Colo.  Riv.  Exp. 
Central  Tent. 


Photograph  by  J.  K.  Hillers. 


were  made  in  all  directions.  Of  course  the  reader  understands 
that  up  to  this  time  no  map  had  been  made  of  this  vast  region 
north  of  the  Colorado,  and  that  many  parts  of  it  were  entirely 
unknown.  The  Mormons  had  traversed  certain  districts,  but 
they  only  knew  their  own  trails  and  roads  and  had  as  yet  not 
had  time  to    carry    on    any    unnecessary   examinations  away 


The  FAge  of  the  World 


307 


from  the  lines  they  travelled.  Some  of  our  experiences  were 
interesting,  but  I  have  not  the  space  here  for  recording  many 
of  them.  It  was  my  first  winter  out  of  doors,  and  sleeping  in 
snow-storms  and  all  kinds  of  weather  was  a  novelty ;  though 
the  climate  is  fine  and  dry.  It  was  only  in  the  higher  regions 
that  we  encountered  much  snow,  yet  the  temperature  in  the 
valleys  was  quite  cold  enough.  In  leading  the  open-air  life 
from  summer  to  winter  and  to  summer  again,  the  system  be- 


♦'llplWBiliPP^^^^*' 


%.^ 


M 


The  Uinkaret  Mountains  at  Sunset,  from  the  North-east. 

Mt.  Trumbull  in  middle,  Mt.  Logan  in  the  far  distance. 
Oil  sketch  by  F.  S.  Dellenbaugh. 


comes  adjusted,  and  one  does  not  suffer  as  much  as  at  first 
glance  would  seem  probable ;  in  fact,  one  suffers  very  little  if 
any,  provided  there  are  plenty  of  good  food  and  warm  clothing. 
On  one  occasion,  when  we  were  coming  away  from  a  snowy 
experience  in  the  Uinkaret  Mountains,  we  were  enveloped  in 
a  severe  flurry  one  morning  soon  after  starting.  When  we 
had  gone  about  a  mile  and  a  half,  the  whole  world  seemed 
to  terminate.     The  air  was  dense  with  the  fast-falling  snow- 


?oS 


The  Colorado  River 


flakes,  and  all  beyond  a  certain  line  was  white  fog,  up,  down, 
and  sideways.  A  halt  was  imperative,  as  we  knew  not  which 
way  to  turn  except  back,  and  that  was  not  our  direction.  De- 
scending from  our  horses  we  stepped  out  in  the  direction  of 
the  illimitable  whiteness,  only  to  find  that  there  was  nothing 
there  to  travel  on.  The  only  thing  to  do  was  to  camp,  which 
we  did  forthwith.  By  our  holding  up  a  blanket  at  the  four 
corners,  and  chopping  some  dry  wood  out  of  the  side  of  a  dead 


Major  Powell  and  a  Pai  Ute.     Southern  Utah,  1872. 

Photograph  by  J.  K.  Hillers,  U.  S.  Colo.  Riv.  Exp. 


tree,  Andy  was  able  to  start  a  fire,  and  we  waited  for  atmo- 
spheric developments.  Presently  there  were  rifts  in  the  white, 
and  as  we  looked  we  could  discern,  far,  far  below  our  position, 
another  land.  As  the  storm  broke  away  more  and  more,  it  was 
seen  that  we  had  arrived  at  the  edge  of  a  cliff  with  a  sheer  drop 
of  one  thousand  feet.  At  last  we  were  able  to  go  on  and 
hunted  for  a  way  to  descend,  which  we  did  not  find.  Conse- 
quently we  continued  northwards  and  finally,  on  the  second 
day,  met  with  a  waggon-track  which  we  followed,  reaching  at 
last    the    edge   where    the  cliff    could    be   descended    by  way 


Naming  some  Buttes 


309 


of  a  waggon-road  the  Mormons  had  cut  out  of  the  face  for  a 
mile  and  a  quarter.  This  was  the  Hurricane  Ledge,  which 
extends  across  the  country  northwards  from  the  Uinkaret 
Mountains  to  the  Virgen  River.  Its  course  is  well  seen  on 
the  map  opposite  page  41,  and  also  on  the  one  on  page  '}^'].  As 
the  traveller  comes  to  Hurricane  Hill,  the  northern  limit,  from 
which  the  whole  cliff  takes  its  name,  he  has  before  him  one  of 
the  most  extraordinary  views  in  all  that  region,  if  not  in  the 


The  Expedition  Photographer  in  the  Field. 

Photograph  by  J.  K.  Hillers,  U.  S.  Geol.  Surv. 


world.  Even  the  Grand  Canyon  itself  is  hardly  more  wonder- 
ful. To  the  right  and  below  us  lay  the  fair  green  fields  of  To- 
querville,  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  Virgen,  and  all  around 
was  such  a  labyrinth  of  mountains,  canyons,  cliffs,  hills,  valleys, 
rocks,  and  ravines,  as  fairly  to  make  one's  head  swim.  I  think 
that  perhaps,  of  all  the  views  I  have  seen  in  the  West,  this  was 
one  of  the  weirdest  and  wildest.  From  Berry  Spring  in  this 
valley  a  party  of  us  returned  to  the  Uinkaret  district  by  fol- 
lowing the  country  to  the  west  of  the  Hurricane  Ledge.     On 


3IO  The  Colorado  River 

this  occasion  we  a<:^ain  climbed  I\It.  Trumbull  and  some  of  the 
others  of  the  group;  and  Dodds  and  I  descended  at  the  foot 
of  the  Toroweap  to  the  river  at  the  rapid  called  Lava  Falls. 
It  was  a  difficult  climb. 

In  triangulating  I  often  had  occasion  to  take  the  bearings 
of  two  large  buttes  lying  to  the  north-west,  and  in  order  that 
my  recorder  could  put  down  the  readings  so  that  I  might 
identify  them  later  I  was  obliged  to  give  him  titles  for  these. 
They  had  no  names  in  our  language,  and  I  did  not  know  the 
native  ones,  so,  remembering  that  at  the  foot  of  one  I  had 
found  some  ant-hills  covered  with  beautiful  diamond-like 
quartz  crystals,  I  called  it  Diamond  Butte,  and  the  other, 
having  a  dark,  weird,  forbidding  look,  I  named  on  the  spur  of 
the  moment  Solitaire  Butte.  These  names  being  used  by  the 
other  members  of  the  corps,  they  became  fixtures  and  are  now 
on  all  the  maps.  I  had  no  idea  at  that  time  of  their  becoming 
permanent.  This  was  also  the  case  with  a  large  butte  on  the 
east  side  of  Marble  Canyon,  which  I  had  occasion  to  sight  to 
from  the  Kaibab.  It  stood  up  so  like  a  great  altar,  and,  having 
in  my  mind  the  house-building  Amerinds  who  had  formerly 
occupied  the  country,  and  whom  the  Pai  Utes  called  Shinumo, 
I  called  it  Shinumo  Altar,  the  name  it  now  bears.  Probably 
there  arc  people  who  wonder  where  the  altar  is  from  which  it 
was  named.  It  was  the  appearance  that  suggested  the  title, 
not  any  arch?eological  find.  Once  when  we  were  in  the 
Uinkaret  country,  Powell  came  in  from  a  climb  to  the  summit 
of  what  he  named  Mt.  Logan,  and  said  he  had  just  seen  a  fine 
mountain  off  to  the  south-west  which  he  would  name  after  me. 
Of  course  I  was  much  pleased  at  having  my  name  thus  per- 
petuated. The  mountain  turned  out  to  be  the  culminating 
point  of  the  Shewits  Plateau.  None  of  us  visited  it  at  that 
time,  but  Thompson  went  there  later,  and  I  crossed  its  slopes 
twice  several  years  afterward.  On  the  summit  is  a  circular 
ruin  about  twenty  feet  in  diameter  with  walls  remaining  two 
feet  high. 

It  will  be  remembered  that  we  had  left  one  of  our  boats 
near  the  mouth  of  the  Dirty  Devil  River.  A  party  was  to  go 
overland  to  that  point  and  bring  this  boat  down  to  the  Paria, 


A  Trip  to  Fremont  River  311 

and  on  the  25th  of  May  (1872)  Thompson  started  at  the  head 
of  the  party  to  try  to  explore  a  way  in  to  the  mouth  of  the 
Dirty  Devil,  at  the  same  time  investigating  the  country  lying 
in  between  and  examining  the  Unknown  or  Dirty  Devil 
Mountains  which  had  been  seen  from  the  river,  just  west  of 
the  course  of  the  Dirty  Devil  River,  now  named  Fremont 
River.  We  went  west  to  a  ranch  called  Johnson  after  the 
owner,  thence  north-westerly,  passing  the  little  Mormon 
settlement  of  Clarkson,  and  then  struck  out  into  the  wilder- 
ness.    Keeping  a  north-westerly  course  we  crossed  the  upper 


Lake  on  the  Aquarius  Plateau. 

Photograph  by  J.  K.  Hillers,  U.  S.  Colo.  Riv.  Exp. 

waters  of  the  Paria  and  made  our  way  to  the  head  of  a  stream 
flowing  through  what  was  called  Potato  Valley,  and  which  the 
party  of  the  previous  year  had  followed  down,  endeavouring 
to  find  a  trail  by  which  to  bring  rations  to  us,  under  the  im- 
pression that  it  was  the  head  of  the  Dirty  Devil.  We  also 
turned  our  course  down  it  with  the  same  idea.  We  had  taken 
with  us  a  Pai  Ute  guide  whom  we  called  Tom,  but  as  we  ad- 
vanced into  this  region  so  far  from  his  range,  Tom  got  nervous 
and  wanted  to  go  back,  and  we  saw  him  no  more  till  our  re- 
turn.    Six  years  before  a   Mormon   reconnoitring   party  had 


312  The  Colorado  River 

penetrated  as  far  as  this,  and  in  one  place  en  route  we  passed 
the  spot  where  one  of  their  number  who  had  been  killed  by 
the  Utes  had  been  buried.  The  grave  had  been  dug  out  by  the 
wolves,  and  a  few  whitened  bones  lay  scattered  around.  It 
was  a  place  where  there  was  no  water  and  we  could  not  stop 
to  reinter  them.  Several  days  after  this  we  reached  a  point 
where  progress  seemed  to  be  impossible  in  that  direction,  and 
Thompson  and  Dodds  climbed  up  on  high  ground  to  recon- 
noitre. When  they  came  back  they  said  wc  were  not  on  the 
headwaters  of  the  Dirty  Devil  at  all,  and  would  be  obliged  to 
change  our  course  completely.  The  Dirty  Devil  entered  the 
Colorado  on  the  other  side  of  the  Unknown  Range  and  the 
stream  we  were  on  joined  it  on  this  side,  the  west,  therefore  it 
was  plain  that  we  had  made  a  mistake.  Accordingly,  our 
steps  were  retraced  to  a  point  where  we  managed  to  ascend  to 
the  slopes  of  what  is  now  called  the  Aquarius  Plateau.  Three 
men  were  sent  back  to  Kanab  after  more  rations,  while  Thomp- 
son with  the  other  six  pushed  on  around  the  slopes,  trying 
to  find  a  way  to  cross  the  labyrinth  of  canyons  to  the  Un- 
known Mountains.  On  the  9th  of  June  we  were  at  an  altitude 
of  ten  thousand  feet  above  sea-level,  with  all  the  wilderness 
of  canyons,  cliffs,  and  buttes  between  us  and  the  Colorado 
spreading  below  like  a  map,  or  rather  like  some  kaleidoscopic 
phantasm.  The  slopes  we  were  crossing  were  full  of  leaping 
torrents  and  clear  lakes.  They  were  so  covered  with  these 
that  the  plateau  afterwards  was  given  the  name  Aquarius. 
Beaman,  who  had  been  photographer  on  our  river  trip,  had  left 
us,  and  we  now  had  a  new  man  from  Salt  Lake,  named  Fenne- 
more.  He  was  a  frail  man  and  the  trip  was  almost  too  much 
for  him.  Down  below  we  saw  the  smokes  of  native  fires  in 
several  places,  but  we  could  not  tell  by  what  tribe  they  were 
made.  At  last  we  came  to  a  point  where  the  plateau  broke 
back  to  the  north,  and  we  paused  to  search  for  a  way  to  con- 
tinue. I  was  sent  out  in  one  direction  with  one  man,  and 
Thompson  went  in  another.  I  had  not  gone  half  a  mile  be- 
fore I  found  an  old  trail  which  had  very  recently  been  travelled 
by  natives,  and  when  I  had  followed  it  far  enough  to  get  its 
trend,  and  as  far  as  I  dared,  for  I  feared  running  on  the  camp  at 


Surprising  a  Ute  Camp 


313. 


any  point,  I  returned  to  report.  Thompson  decided  to  take 
this  trail.  It  led  us  across  strange  country,  and  in  one  place 
for  a  long  distance  over  barren  sandstone  into  a  peculiar  valley. 
Here  we  camped  about  three  miles  from  a  great  smoke,  and 
the  next  morning  ran  right  on  top  of  a  Ute  encampment.  At 
first  we  expected  trouble,  but  there  were  only  seven  of  the 
warriors,  and  they  were,  as  we  learned  later,  out  of  powder, 
so  when  they  sighted  us  they  disappeared.  At  last  they  re- 
turned, and  we  had  a  talk  with  them,  trying  to  induce  one  to 


Butte  in  Grand  Gulch. 

A  tributary  of  the  San  Juan. 
Photograph  by  Charles  Goodman. 


go  with  us  as  guide.     They  described  the  trails,  but  refused 
to  go  along. 

We  camped  one  night  near  them,  and  then  went  on,  arriving 
finally,  after  a  great  deal  of  trouble  at  the  Unknown  Moun- 
tains, since  called  the  Henry  Mountains,  having  taken  a  wrong 
trail.  At  one  place  we  were  obliged  to  take  the  whole  pack- 
train  up  a  cliff  fifteen  hundred  feet  high,  making  a  trail  as  we 
went.  On  the  top  were  some  water-pockets.  We  watered 
the  stock  at  one  of  these  the  next  morning,  when  we  were 
obliged  fairly  to  lift  the  horses  out  of  the  gulch  by  putting  our- 


314 


The  Colorado  River 


shoulders  to  their  haunches.  At  last,  however,  we  got  to  the 
mountains,  and  though  it  was  now  the  17th  of  June  water 
froze  one  half  inch  thick  in  the  kettles  in  our  camp  about 
fifteen  hundred  feet  up  the  slopes.      Thompson  climbed  one  of 


Repairing  Boat  Near  Mouth  of  Fremont  River  on  the  Colorado,  1872. 

Photograph  by  J.  Fenn'emore,  U.  S.  Colo.  Riv.  Exp. 

the  mountains,  and  I  started  up  another,  but  my  companion 
gave  out.  We  crossed  through  a  pass,  and  on  the  22d,  after 
pursuing  a  winding  and  difficult  road  through  canyons,  suc- 
ceeded in  getting  the  whole  train  down  to  the  Colorado  a 
:short   distance   below   the    mouth   of   the   Dirty   Devil.     The 


On  the  Colorado  Again 


315 


Colorado  was  high,  and  swept  along  majestically.  We  found 
it  had  been  up  as  far  as  the  Canoni/a,  and  had  almost  washed 
away  one  of  the  oars.  We  soon  ran  her  down  to  our  camp, 
and  there  put  her  in  order  for  the  journey,  which  from  here  to 
the  Paria  could  be  nothing  more  than  a  pleasure  trip.  Thomp- 
son, Dodds,  and  Andy 
left  the  rest  of  us  and 
returned  on  the  trail 
towards  Kanab. 
Those  left  for  the 
boat's  crew  besides 
myself  were  Hillers, 
Fennemore,  the  pho- 
tographer, and  W.  D. 
Johnson.  The  latter 
was  from  Kanab,  and 
was  a  Mormon,  as  was 
also  the  photographer, 
and  both  were  fine 
fellows.  The  river 
was  at  flood  and  we 
had  an  easy  time  of  it 
so  far  as  travelling 
was  concerned.  Our 
investigations  and 
photographing  some- 
times consumed  half  a 
day,  but  in  the  other 
half  we  made  good 
progress,  eight  or  nine 
miles  without    trying. 

The  rations  were  limited  in  variety,  but  were  abundant  of  their 
kind,  being  almost  entirely  bread  and  black  coffee.  When  we 
tried,  we  made  great  runs,  one  day  easily  accomplishing  about 
forty  miles.  The  San  Juan  was  now  a  powerful  stream,  as 
we  saw  on  passing.  At  the  Music  Temple  we  camped,  and 
I  cut  Hillers's  and  my  name  on  the  rocks.  Fennemore 
made  a   picture  of  the  place,  given   on   page  215.     On  the 


Major  Powell  in  the  Field,  1872. 


J) 


1 6  The  Colorado  River 


nth  of  July  we  reached  the  Paria,  where  we  expected  to 
find  several  of  our  party,  but  they  were  not  there.  We  dis- 
covered that  some  one  had  come  in  here  since  our  last  visit, 
and  built  a  house.  It  proved  to  be  John  D.  Lee,  of  Mountain 
Meadow  Massacre  notoriety,  who  had  established  a  home  here 
for  one  of  his  two  remaining  wives.  He  called  the  place 
Lonely  Dell,  and  it  was  not  a  misnomer.  It  is  now  known  as 
Lee's  Ferry.  Mrs.  Lee  XVIII.  proved  to  be  an  agreeable 
woman,  and  she  and  her  husband  treated  us  very  kindly,  in- 
viting us,  as  we  had  nothing  but  bread  and  coffee,  to  share 
their  table,  an  offer  we  gladly  accepted.  Here  Johnson  and 
Fennemore  left  us,  going  out  with  Lee  to  Kanab,  and  two 
days  later  we  were  relieved  to  see  some  of  our  men  arrive  with 
a  large  amount  of  supplies  and  mail.  We  then  waited  for  the 
coming  of  Powell  and  Thompson  with  the  others,  when  we 
were  to  cast  off  and  run  the  gauntlet  of  the  Grand  Canyon. 


CHAPTER    XIII 

A  Canyon  through  Marble — Multitudinous  Rapids — Running  the  Sockdologer — A 
Difficult  Portage,  Rising  Water,  and  a  Trap — The  Dean  Upside  Down — A 
Close  Shave — Whirlpools  and  Fountains — The  Kanab  Canyon  and  the  End 
of  the  Voyage. 

BY  referring  to  the  relief  map  opposite  page  41,  the  mouth 
of  the  Paria  is  seen  a  trifle  more  than  half-way  up  the 
right-hand  side.  The  walls  of  Glen  Canyon  here  recede  from 
the  river  and  become  on  the  south  the  Echo  Cliffs,  taking  the 
name  from  the  Echo  Peaks  which  form  their  beginning,  and  on 
the  north  the  Vermilion  Cliffs,  so  called  by  Powell  because  of 
their  bright  red  colour.  The  latter,  and  the  canyon  of  the  Pa- 
ria, make  the  edges  of  the  great  mesa  called  the  Paria  Plateau, 
and,  running  on  north  to  the  very  head  of  the  Kaibab  uplift, 
strike  off  south-westerly  to  near  Pipe  Spring,  where  they  turn 
and  run  in  a  north-west  direction  to  the  Virgen  River.  Be- 
tween the  receding  lines  of  these  cliffs,  at  the  Paria,  is  practi- 
cally the  head  of  the  Grand  Canyon.  The  river  at  once  begins 
an  attack  on  the  underlying  strata,  and  the  resulting  canyon, 
while  at  first  not  more  than  two  hundred  feet  deep,  rapidly  in- 
creases this  depth,  as  the  strata  run  up  and  the  river  runs  down. 
The  canyon  is  narrow,  and  seen  from  a  height  resembles,  as 
previously  mentioned,  a  dark  serpent  lying  across  a  plain. 
As  the  formation  down  to  the  Little  Colorado  is  mainly  a  fine- 
grained grey  marble,  Powell  concluded  to  call  this  division  by 

317 


i8 


The  Colorado  River 


a  separate  name,  and  gave  it  the  title  it  now  bears,  Marble 
Canyon.  There  is  no  separation  between  Marble  Canyon  and 
the  following  one,  the  Grand  Canyon,  except  the  narrow  gorge 
of  the  Little  Colorado,  so  that  topographically  the  chasm  which 
begins  at  the  Paria,  ends  at  the  Grand  Wash,  a  distance  of  283 
miles,  as  the  river  runs,  the  longest,  deepest,  and  altogether 
most  magnificent  example  of  the  canyon  formation  to  be  found 
on  the  globe.     With  an  average  depth  of  about  four  thousand 

feet,  it  reaches  for  long  stretches- 
]  between  five  thousand  and  six 
thousand.  At  the  Paria  (Lee's 
Ferry)  the  altitude  above  the 
sea  is  3170  feet,  while  at  the 
end  of  the  canyon,  the  Grand 
W'ash,  the  elevation  is  only 
840  feet.  The  declivity  is  thus 
very  great  (see  the  diagram  on 
page  57,  which  gives  from  the 
Little  Colorado  down),  the 
total  fall  being  2330  feet. 
Further  comment  on  the  charac- 
ter of  the  river  within  this 
wonderful  gorge  is  unnecessary. 
Powell  had  been  through  it  on 
his  first  expedition,  and  was 
now  to  make  the  passage  again, 
to  examine  its  geological  and 
geographical  features  more  in 
detail.  Meanwhile,  as  recorded  in  the  last  chapter.  Lieu- 
tenant Wheeler  had  made  an  effort,  apparently  to  forestall  this- 
examination,  and  had  precariously  succeeded  in  reaching  Dia- 
mond Creek,  which  is  just  at  the  south  end  of  the  Shewits 
Plateau,  lower  left-hand  corner  of  the  map  facing  page  41. 

Powell  and  Thompson  arrived  at  our  camp  at  the  mouth  of 
the  Paria  on  the  13th  of  August  (1872)  accompanied  by  Mrs. 
Thompson,  who  had  been  at  Kanab  all  the  previous  winter, 
and  had  pluckily  made  several  trips  with  Thompson  into  the 
mountains,  and   Professor  De  Motte.     They  had  come  in   by 


Navajos  in  Characteristic  Dress. 

Photograph  by  F.  S.  Dellenbaugh. 


A  Boat  Abandoned  3^9 

way  of  the  south  end  of  the  Kaibab,  and  it  was  on  this  occa- 
sion that  the  valley  on  the  southern  part  of  the  summit  was 
named  De  Motte  Park.  Preparations  for  our  descent  through 
the  great  chasm  were  immediately  begun.  The  boats  had  been 
previously  overhauled,  and  as  the  Nellie  Pozvcll  was  found  un- 
seaworthy  from  last  season's  knocks,  or  at  least  not  in  condi- 
tion to  be  relied  on  in  the  Grand  Canyon,  she  was  abandoned, 
and  Lee  kept  her  for  a  ferry-boat.  Perhaps  she  might  have 
been  repaired,  but  anyhow  we  had  only  men  enough  to 
handle  two  boats.  Steward's  trouble  had  not  sufficiently  im- 
proved to  warrant  his  risking  further  exposure,  so  he  had  re- 
turned to  his  home  in  Illinois.  Bishop  was  in  a  similar  plight, 
and  went  to  Salt  Lake  to  regain  his  health,  and  Beaman  had 
started  off  to  carry  on  some  photographic  operations  of  his 
own.  He  came  to  the  river  and  crossed  on  his  way  to  the 
Moki  country,  while  we  were  preparing  to  depart  from  the 
Paria.  Johnson  and  Fennemore,  who  had  been  with  us  part 
of  the  winter,  were  too  ill  to  think  of  entering  the  great  can- 
yon, with  all  the  uncertainties  of  such  a  venture,  and  as  before 
noted  they,  too,  had  left.  Our  party,  then,  consisted  of  seven  : 
Powell,  Thompson,  Hillers,  Jones,  W.  C,  Powell,  Hattan,  and 
Dellenbaugh,  all  from  the  first  season's  crew.  No  one  else  was 
available,  as  the  trip  was  regarded  in  that  region  as  extremely 
desperate.  On  the  14th,  the  boats,  Emma  Dean  and  Cafwiiita, 
were  in  readiness,  and  we  loaded  and  took  them  down  a  mile 
and  a  half  to  the  point  near  where  the  road  came  in  from 
Kanab,  whence  our  final  departure  would  be  made  as  soon  as 
Powell,  who  needed  a  little  extra  time  for  arranging  his  papers 
and  general  affairs,  should  say  the  word.  Everything  was 
carefully  attended  to,  as  if  we  were  preparing  our  last  will 
and  testament,  and  were  never  to  be  seen  alive  again,  and  I 
believe  this  was  the  firm  conviction  of  most  of  those  not  going 
with  the  boats.  Those  who  were  going  had  abundant  respect 
for  the  dragon,  and  well  knew  that  no  holiday  excursion 
was  before  them.  Their  spirit  was  humble,  and  no  precau- 
tion was  to  be  neglected ;  no  spirit  of  bravado  permitted  to 
endanger  the  success  of  the  undertaking.  Mrs.  Thompson  and 
De  Motte  ran  down  with  us  through  two  small  rapids  that  exist 


320  The  Colorado  River 

at  the  mouth  of  the  Paria,  and  which  we  had  to  pass  to  reach 
the  camp  mentioned.  Mrs.  Thompson  would  wiUingiy  have 
gone  all  the  way  through  if  her  husband  had  consented  to  it. 

On  the  15th  it  was  "all  ashore  not  going";  we  said  our 
farewells  to  those  leaving  for  Kanab,  and  turned  our  attention 
to  the  river.  We  would  see  no  one  after  starting  till  we  ar- 
rived at  the  mouth  of  the  Kanab,  where  we  had  discovered, 
during  the  winter,  that  a  pack-train,  with  some  difficulty,  could 
be  brought  in  with  supplies.  It  was  not  till  the  17th  that  we 
were  able  to  leave,  as  the  boats  needed  some  further  attention. 
On  that  day,  about  nine  o'clock,  we  cast  off  and  went  down 
some  five  miles,  running  one  little  rapid  and  another  of  con- 
siderable size  before  we  halted  for  dinner.  The  walls  were 
still  not  high,  only  about  five  hundred  feet,  and  I  climbed  out 
to  secure  a  farewell  glance  at  the  open  country.  On  starting 
again  we  had  not  gone  far  before  we  came  to  a  really  bad 
place,  a  fall  of  about  eighteen  feet  in  seventy-five  yards,  where 
it  was  deemed  respectful  to  make  a  portage.  This  accom- 
plished, another  of  the  same  nature,  with  an  equally  fierce  growl, 
discovered  itself  not  far  below,  and  a  camp  was  made  where 
we  landed  at  its  head.  This  was  ten  miles  below  our  starting- 
point,  and  seemed  to  be  the  spot  where  a  band  of  ten  mining 
prospectors  were  wrecked  about  a  month  before.  They  had 
gone  in  to  the  mouth  of  the  Paria  on  a  prospecting  trip,  and 
concluded  they  would  examine  the  Grand  Canyon.  Conse- 
quently they  built  a  large  raft,  and  after  helping  themselves  to 
a  lot  of  our  cooking  utensils  and  other  things  from  some  caches 
we  had  made  when  we  went  out  from  the  river  for  our  winter's 
work,  they  sailed  away,  expecting  to  accomplish  wonders. 
Ten  miles,  to  the  first  bad  rapids,  was  the  extent  of  their 
voyage,  and  there  they  were  fortunate  to  escape  with  their 
lives,  but  nothing  else,  and  by  means  of  ladders  made  from 
driftwood,  they  reached  once  more  the  outer  world,  having 
learned  the  lesson  the  Colorado  is  sure  to  teach  those  who  re- 
gard it  lightly.  We  made  a  portage  at  the  place  and  enjoyed  a 
good  laugh  when  we  looked  at  the  vertical  rocks  and  pictured 
the  prospectors  dismally  crawling  out  of  the  roaring  waters 
with  nothing  left  but  the  clothes  on  their  backs.      Our  opinion 


3    K 


32  2  The  Colorado  River 

was,  they  were  served  just  right :  first,  because  they  had  stolen 
our  property,  and,  second,  because  they  had  so  little  sense. 
The  walls  had  rapidly  grown  in  altitude,  and  near  the  river 
were  \'ertical  so  that  climbing  out  at  this  place  was  a  particu- 
larly difficult  undertaking.  The  river  was  still  very  high,  but 
not  at  the  highest  stage  of  this  year,  which  had  been  passed 
before  the  Cauoiiita  party  had  come  down  to  the  Paria  from 
Fremont  River.  But  the  canyon  was  even  yet  uncomfortably 
full  and  we  were  hoping  the  water  would  diminish  rapidly,  for 
high  tide  in  such  a  place  is  a  great  disadvantage.  The  stream 
was  thick  with  red  mud,  the  condition  from  which  it  derived 
its  name,  and  it  swept  along  with  a  splendid  vigour  that  be- 
tokened a  large  reserve  flood  in  the  high  mountains.  The 
marble  composing  the  walls  of  this  canyon  for  most  of  its 
length  is  of  a  greyish  drab  colour  often  beautifully  veined,  but 
it  must  not  be  supposed  that  the  walls  are  the  same  colour 
externally,  for  they  are  usually  a  deep  red,  due  to  the  dis- 
coloration of  their  surface  by  disintegration  of  beds  above  full 
of  iron.  Except  w^here  high  water  had  scoured  the  walls, 
there  was  generally  no  indication  of  their  real  colour.  In  places 
the  friction  of  the  current  had  brought  them  to  a  glistening 
polish  ;  the  surface  was  smooth  as  glass,  and  was  sometimes  cut 
into  multitudinous  irregular  flutings  as  deep  as  one's  finger. 
The  grinding  power  of  the  current  was  well  shown  in  some  of 
the  boulders,  which  had  been  dovetailed  together  till  the 
irregular  line  of  juncture  was  barely  perceptible. 

The  next  day  was  begun  by  accomplishing  the  portage  over 
the  rapid  which  had  punished  the  prospectors  for  their  temerity 
and  for  their  lack  of  proper  morals,  and  then  we  made  most 
excellent  progress,  successfully  putting  behind  us  eleven  lively 
rapids  free  from  rocks  before  we  were  admonished  to  pause 
and  make  a  let-down.  Then  camp  was  established  for  the 
night  with  the  record  of  ten  and  three-eighths  miles  for  our 
day's  work.  At  one  place  we  passed  a  rock  in  the  water  so 
large  that  it  almost  blocked  the  entire  stream,  which  had  av- 
eraged about  two  hundred  feet  in  width,  though  narrowing 
at  many  places  to  no  more  than  seventy-five.  The  current 
was   always   extremely   swift,    while    many    whirlpools    added 


Vasey's  Paradise  323 

their  demands,  though  they  gave  us  no  serious  trouble.  It 
is  exasperating,  however,  to  be  turned  around  against  one's 
will.  The  canyon  at  the  top  for  a  considerable  distance  was 
not  over  three-quarters  of  a  mile  wide.  The  depth  was  now 
from  fifteen  hundred  to  eighteen  hundred  feet.  There  were 
always  rapids  following  quickly  one  after  another,  but  so  often 
they  were  free  from  rocks,  the  dangerous  part  of  most  rapids, 
that  we  were  able  to  sail  through  them  in  triumph.  On  the 
20th,  out  of  thirteen  sharp  descents,  we  easily  ran  twelve,  all 
in  a  distance  of  less  than  seven  miles.  The  average  width  of 
the  river  was  one  hundred  and  twenty-five  feet,  while  the  walls 
rose  to  over  two  thousand  feet,  and  at  the  top  the  canyon  was 
about  a  mile  and  a  quarter  from  brink  to  brink.  This  brought 
us  to  Vasey's  Paradise,  so  named  after  a  botanist  friend  of  his, 
by  Powell  on  the  first  descent.  It  was  only  a  lot  of  ferns, 
mosses,  and  similar  plants  growing  around  two  springs  that 
issued  from  the  cliffs  on  the  right  about  seventy-five  feet  above 
the  river,  and  rippled  in  silver  threads  to  the  bottom,  but  as  it 
was  the  first  green  spot  since  leaving  the  Paria  its  appearance 
was  striking  and  attractive  to  the  eye  that  had  been  baffled  in 
all  directions  except  above,  in  a  search  for  something  besides 
red.  Now  the  narrow,  terraced  canyon,  often  vertical  on  both 
sides  for  several  hundred  feet  above  the  water,  grew  ever 
deeper  and  deeper,  two  thousand,  twenty-five  hundred,  three 
thousand  feet  and  more,  as  the  impetuous  torrent  slashed  its 
way  down,  till  it  finally  seemed  to  me  as  if  we  were  actually 
sailing  into  the  inner  heart  of  the  world.  The  sensation  on 
the  first  expedition,  when  each  dark  new  bend  was  a  dark  new 
mystery,  must  have  been  something  to  quite  overpower  the 
imagination,  for  then  it  was  not  known  that,  by  good  manage- 
ment, a  boat  could  pass  through  this  Valley  of  the  Shadow  of 
Death,  and  survive.  Down,  and  down,  and  ever  down,  roaring 
and  leaping  and  throwing  its  spiteful  spray  against  the  hamper- 
ing rocks  the  terrible  river  ran,  carrying  our  boats  along  with 
it  like  little  wisps  of  straw  in  the  midst  of  a  Niagara,  the  ter- 
raced walls  around  us  sometimes  fantastically  eroded  into 
galleries,  balconies,  alcoves,  and  Gothic  caves  that  lent  to 
them   an    additional   weird    and   wonderful    aspect,  while   the 


324 


The  Colorado  River 


reverberating  turmoil  of  the  ever-descending  flood  was  like 
some  extravagant  musical  accompaniment  to  the  extraordin- 
ary panorama  flitting  past  of  rock  sculpture  and  bounding 
cliffs. 

The  22d  was  a  day  to  be  particularly  remembered,  for  the 
walls,  though  more  broken  at  the  water's  edge,  were  now  some 
thirty-five  hundred  feet  high  and  seemed  to  be  increasing  by 
leaps  and  bounds,  for  at  one  place,  through  a  side  gorge  on 
the  right,  we  could  discern  cliffs  so  far  above  our  heads  that 

tall  pine  trees  look- 
ed no  larger  than 
lead  pencils.  It 
was  the  end  of  the 
Kaibab,  whose  sum- 
mit was  more  than 
five  thousand  feet 
higherthanthe  river 
at  this  point.  Cat- 
^  aract  followed  rapid 
and  rapid  followed 
cataract  as  we  were 
hurled  on  down 
through  the  midst 
of  the  sublimity, 
which,  parting  at 
our  advance,  closed 
again  behind  like 
some  wonderful 
phantasmagoria. 
At  times  in  the  headlong  rush  the  boats  could  barely  be  held 
in  control.  Once,  a  wild  mass  of  breakers  appeared  immedi- 
ately in  the  path  of  our  boat,  from  which  it  was  impossible  to 
escape,  even  though  we  made  a  severe  effort  to  do  so.  We 
thought  we  were  surely  to  be  crushed,  and  I  shall  not  forget 
the  seconds  that  passed  as  we  waited  for  the  collision  which 
never  came,  for  when  the  boat  dashed  into  the  midst  of  the 
spray,  there  was  no  shock  whatever ;  we  glided  through  as  if 
on  oil, — the  rocks  were  too  far  beneath  the  surface  to  harm 


Marble  Canyon  near  the  Lower  End. 

Walls  about  3500  feet. 

Photograph  by  J.  K.  Hillers,  U.  S.  Colo.  Riv.  Exp. 


At  the  Little  Colorado  325 

us.      So  constant  was  the  rush  of  the  descending  waters  that 
our  oars  were  needed  only  for  guidance. 

Late  in  the  day  there  came  a  long  straight  stretch,  at  the 
bottom  of  which  the  river  appeared  to  vanish.  Had  any  one 
said  the  course  was  now  underground  from  that  point  onward, 
it  would  have  seemed  entirely  appropriate.  In  the  outer 
world  the  sun  was  low,  though  it  had  long  been  gone  to  us, 
and  the  blue  haze  of  approaching  night  was  drawing  a  veil  of 
strange  uncertainty  among  the  cliffs,  while  far  above,  the  upper 
portions  of  the  mighty  eastern  walls,  at  all  times  of  gorgeous 
hue,  were  now  beautifully  enriched  by  the  last  hot  radiance  of 
the  western  sky.  Such  a  view  as  this  was  worth  all  the  labour 
we  had  accomplished.  When  the  end  of  this  marvellous  piece 
of  canyon  was  reached  a  small  river  was  found  to  enter  on  the 
left  through  a  narrow  gorge  like  the  main  canyon.  It  was  the 
Little  Colorado,  and  beside  it  on  a  sand-bank  we  stopped  for 
the  night,  having  ended  one  of  the  finest  runs  of  our  experience, 
about  eighteen  miles  with  but  a  single  let-down ;  yet  in  this 
distance  there  were  eighteen  rapids,  one  of  which  was  about 
two  and  one  half  miles  long.  It  was  a  glorious  record,  and  I 
do  not  recall  another  day  which  was  more  exhilarating.  We 
had  arrived  at  the  end  of  Marble  Canyon  and  the  beginning  of 
the  Grand  Canyon,  there  being  nothing  to  mark  the  division 
but  the  narrow  gorge  of  the  Little  Colorado.  In  Marble  Can- 
yon we  had  found  sixty-nine  rapids  in  the  sixty-five  and  one 
half  miles,  with  a  total  descent  of  480  feet.  Of  these  we  ran 
sixty,  let  down  by  lines  five  times,  and  made  four  portages. 
Here  at  the  mouth  of  the  Little  Colorado  was  the  place  where 
White's  imagination  pictured  overwhelming  terrors  and  his 
worst  experience  in  a  whirlpool  opposite.  But  in  reality  the 
Colorado  at  this  particular  point  is  very  tame,  and  when  we 
were  there  the  Little  Colorado  was  a  lamb. 

Now  the  Grand  Canyon,  as  named  by  Powell  on  his  former 
trip,  was  before  us,  and  soon  we  were  descending  through  the 
incomparable  chasm.  Three  or  four  miles  below  the  Little 
Colorado  the  walls  break  away,  and  the  canyon  has  more  the 
appearance  of  a  valley  hemmed  in  by  beetling  cliffs  and 
crags    which   rise  up  in  all  directions  over  5000  feet,   distant 


126 


The  Colorado  River 


from  the  line  of  the  river  five  or  six  miles.  On  the  right  were 
two  minor  valleys  within  the  canyon  called  Nancoweap  and 
Kwagunt,  named  by  Powell  after  the  Pai  Utes,  who  have  trails 
coming  down  into  them.'  As  we  went  on,  the  canyon  narrowed 
again,  becoming  wilder  and  grander  than  ever,  and  on  the  28th, 

late  in  the  day,  we  came 
to  the  first  bad  fall  in 
this  division,  where  a 
portage  was  necessary, 
and  we  made  a  camp. 
A  short  distance  below 
this  camp  the  granite 
ran  up.  To  any  one 
who  has  been  in  this 
chasm  with  a  boat,  the 
term  "the  granite  runs 
up  "  has  a  deep  signifi- 
cance. It  means  that 
the  First  Granite  Gorge 
is  beginning,  and  this 
First  Granite  Gorge,  in 
the  Kaibab  division  of 
the  canyon,  less  than 
fifty  miles  in  length  as 
the  stream  runs,  con- 
tains the  wildest,  swift- 
est, steepest  piece  of 
river  on  this  continent 
except  a  portion  in  Cat- 
aract Canyon.  The  de- 
clivity is  tremendous.  Between  the  Little  Colorado  and 
the  Kanab  the  total  fall  is  890  feet,  and  the  bulk  of  this 
drop  occurs  in  the  granite.  In  one  stretch  of  ten  miles 
the  descent  is  210  feet.  All  through  this  granite  the  character 
of  the  river  is  different  from  anything  above.  The  falls  are 
short   and   violent,  while  the  stretches  in  between  are  smooth 

'  Kwagunt  was  the  name  of  a  Pai  Ute  who  said  he  owned  this  valley — that  his 
father,  who  used  to  live  there,  had  given  it  to  him. 


F.  S.  Dellenbaugh,  1872. 

The  exploring  costume  consisted  of  a  shirt  as  above,  a 

pair  of  cotton  overalls,  heavy  hobnailed  shoes, 

and  a  felt  hat. 

Tintype  by  J.  K.  Hillers. 


A  Great  Fall 


327 


and  not  always  swift.  But  the  moment  a  break  occurs  the 
turbulence  and  commotion  are  instantly  very  great.  The 
summer  is  the  wet  season  here,  and  to  add  to  our  troubles 
we   were   treated   to    frequent  rains.     The    next  day  toward 


Granite  Falls,  Grand  Canyon. 
Photograph  by  J.  K.  Hillers,  U.  S.  Colo.  Riv.  Exp. 

noon,  as  we  were  sailing  along  between  the  black  walLs,  on 
a  rather  sluggish  current,  a  deep-toned  roar  was  borne  up 
to  our  ears.  Nothing  could  be  seen  of  the  cause  of  it,  but  a 
complete  disappearance  of  the  river  from  our  sight  warned  us 
to  make  a  landing  as  soon  as  possible.      Some  broken  rocks 


S2S  The  Colorado  River 

protruding  a  few  feet  above  the  water  at  the  base  of  the  right- 
hand  wall  afforded  the  desired  opportunity,  and  running  in  we 
stepped  out  and  mounted  them.     The  cause  of  the   roaring 
was  immediately  apparent.      For  a  third  of  a  mile  the  river  was  a 
solid  mass  of  huge  waves  and  foam  and  plunges,  and  on  each 
side  the  granite  came  down  so  precipitously  that  a  footing  was 
impossible.      It  took  no  second  glance  to  tell  us  that,  at  least 
with  this  stage  of  water,  there  was  but  one  course,  and  that 
was  to  run  the  place.     There  is  nothing  like  having  the  inner 
man  fortified  for  exertion,  therefore  with  a  few  bits  of  drift- 
wood a  fire  was  built,  by  means  of  which  Andy  prepared  dinner. 
When  this  had  been  disposed  of  operations  were  begun.     The 
Cafionita  was  to  remain  here  till  our  boat  was  well  through. 
In  case  we  smashed  up  they  would  have  a  better  chance,  as 
they  might  profit  by  our  course,  and  if  we  went  through  safely, 
we  would  be  prepared  to  pick  them  up  should  disaster  overtake 
them.      At  last  we  were  ready.      The   crew  of  the    Caiionita 
placed  themselves  where  they  could  carefully  watch  our  fort- 
unes, and  we  pulled  up  the  river  very  close  to  the  right-hand 
wall  in  slack  current,  for  about  a  quarter  of  a  mile,  when  we 
turned  the  bow  out  and  struck  for  the  middle,  heading  there 
straight  for  the  descent.     I  pulled  the  bow  oars,  and  my  back 
was  toward  the  terrific  roar  which,  like  the  voice  of  some  awful 
monster,  grew  louder  as  we  approached.      It  was  difficult  to 
refrain  from  turning  round  to  see  what  it  looked  like  now,  but 
as  everything  depended  on  the  promptness  with  which  Hillers 
and  I  handled  our  oars  in  obedience  to  Powell's  orders,  I  waited 
for  the  plunge,   every  instant  ready  to  execute  a  command. 
We  kept  in  the  middle  of  the  stream,  and  as  we  neared  the 
brink  our  speed  began  to  accelerate.     Then  of  a  sudden  there 
was  a  dropping  away  of  all  support,  a  reeling  sensation,  and 
we  flew  down  the  declivity  with  the  speed  of  a  locomotive. 
The  gorge  was  chaos.     The  boat  rolled   and   plunged.     The 
wild  waters  rolled  over  us,  filling  the  open  spaces  to  the  gun- 
wale.     With  the  camp  kettles  that  were  left  out  of  the  cabins 
for  that  purpose,  Hillers  and  I  bailed  as  hard  as  we  could,  let- 
ting the  boat  go  with  the  current,  but  it  seemed  to  do  little 
good,  for  every  moment  the  waves  broke  over  the  craft  from 


OJ 


30  The  Colorado  River 


end  to  end,  and  our  efforts  might  as  well  have  been  made  with 
a  teaspoon,  though  in  many  other  rapids  the  kettles  had 
proved  effective.  Here  and  there,  as  we  shot  down,  I  could 
look  back  under  a  canopy  of  foam  and  see  the  head  of  a  great 
black  rock.  Fortunately  we  safely  cleared  everything,  and  in 
probably  less  than  a  minute  we  were  at  the  bottom,  lying  to 
in  an  eddy,  bailing  fast  and  watching  for  the  other  boat.  No 
sign  of  any  living  thing  could  be  discovered  as  we  peered  up 
the  rapid,  which  from  below  had  the  appearance  of  an  almost 
vertical  fall.  Presently  at  the  top  of  the  foam  a  white  speck 
moved,  clearly  seen  against  the  dark  background.  It  was  the 
Cafionita  on  the  edge  of  the  fall.  I  can  see  her  yet,  pausing 
for  an  instant,  apparently,  and  then  disappearing  completely 
amidst  the  plunging  waters.  A  minute  later  she  reappeared 
at  the  bottom  and  ran  alongside  of  us  in  good  order.  Owing 
to  the  large  amount  of  water  there  seemed  to  be  not  much 
danger  of  striking  a  rock,  and  our  boats  did  not  capsize  easily. 
After  the  plunge  was  begun  we  did  not  try  to  guide  the  boats — 
it  would  have  been  useless.  The  fall  here  was  about  eighty  feet 
in  a  third  of  a  mile.  Some  of  the  men  called  it  the  Sockdologer. 
The  picture  of  it  from  above,  on  page  219,  does  not  give  a  cor- 
rect impression,  as  the  plate  was  too  slow,  but  it  was  the  best 
that  could  be  done  at  the  time.  The  canyon  continued  very 
narrow  at  the  bottom,  the  river  averaging  about  one  hundred 
and  fifty  feet.  Late  in  the  afternoon  we  arrived  at  a  much 
worse  place  than  the  Sockdologer,  though  the  fall  was  not 
so  great.  Landing  on  the  left  on  some  broken  rocks,  we  saw 
no  chance  of  getting  around  the  rapid  there,  so  we  crossed  to 
the  right  and  landed  on  another  little  pile  of  rocks  in  a  small 
alcove.  The  walls  rose  vertically,  or  nearly  so,  from  the  water's 
edge.  We  saw  the  only  thing  to  do  was  to  lower  one  boat, 
with  two  men  on  board,  by  her  line  for  some  distance  (a 
hundred  feet  of  best  Manila  rope  were  attached  to  each  boat 
by  a  strong  iron  ring;  in  the  stern  was  also  an  iron  ring),  and 
from  the  stern  let  the  other  cautiously  down  to  the  very  head 
of  the  fall,  where  there  was  a  second  pile  of  rocks  which  re- 
ceived the  boat  between  them  and  held  her  fast.  The  upper 
boat  was  then  pulled  back  to  where  we  had  remained,  the  line 


A  Difficult  Portage  331 

from  the  second  being  tied  to  her  stern.  Entering  her  we 
clung  to  projections  of  the  wall  with  our  hands,  to  prevent  the 
current  from  swinging  the  boat  out,  while  the  men  who  were 
in  the  lower  boat  carefully  hauled  on  the  stern  line  till  at  last 
we  also  reached  the  rocks.  With  a  great  deal  of  labour  we 
then  worked  both  boats  from  these  rocks  to  some  others  nearer 
the  right  wall,  from  which  they  were  manoeuvred  across  to  a 
pile  about  two  hundred  feet  away  against  the  foot  of  the  cliff. 
This  ended  our  struggle  for  the  day,  as  night  was  upon  us. 
The  black  rocks  towering  so  far  above  made  the  gorge  darken 
•early,  and  rain  began  to  fall.  A  little  damp  driftwood  was 
collected  with  which  a  fire  was  started  in  order  that  Andy 
might  prepare  supper.  When  this  was  almost  ready  peal  after 
peal  of  thunder  suddenly  crashed  among  the  cliffs,  which 
seemed  to  collapse  and  fall  down  upon  us,  and  a  flood  from 
the  sky  descended.  The  fire  died  without  a  sputter,  every- 
thing not  in  rubber  was  soaked,  and  all  we  could  do  was  to 
stand  in  the  darkness,  cold  and  hungry,  and  wait  for  the  deluge 
to  cease.  At  last  we  were  able  to  start  the  fire  once  more, 
and  had  a  half-cooked  supper  before  hunting  the  soft  sides  of 
the  rocks  for  beds.  The  next  day  it  required  hard  work  till 
•one  o'clock  to  get  the  boats  down  two  hundred  yards  farther. 
At  one  place  to  keep  the  bow  in,  I  was  in  one  of  the  boats, 
beine  lowered  alonsr  the  wall,  while  the  other  men  were  a  hun- 
dred  feet  above  my  head,  holding  the  end  of  two  hundred  feet 
of  rope,  as  they  clambered  along  a  ledge.  The  situation  all 
around  was  rather  precarious,  but  we  had  no  accident.  This 
broucrht  us  to  a  small  alcove  where  there  was  a  limited  talus. 
The  boats  were  so  much  bruised  that  we  were  obliged  to  halt 
on  these  rocks  for  repairs,  instead  of  starting  out  again  into 
the  current  as  we  intended.  This  work  took  so  long  that 
darkness  approached  before  all  was  done.  At  the  same  time 
we  discovered  that  the  river  was  rising  rapidly,  at  the  rate  of 
three  or  four  feet  an  hour,  submerging  the  rocks.  Fortunately, 
about  twenty  feet  up  the  cliff  was  a  narrow  shelf,  and  to  this 
the  rations  were  passed  to  guard  them  from  the  rising  waters. 
Then  there  was  danger  of  the  boats  pounding  to  pieces,  as  the 
space  they  were  on  was  rapidly  decreasing,  and  waves  from  the 


332  The  Colorado  River 

rapid  swept  into  the  cove,  so  it  was  decided  to  raise  them  up- 
on the  side  of  the  wall  as  far  as  necessary.  By  means  of  the 
ropes  we  succeeded  in  swinging  them  at  a  height  of  about  six 
feet  and  there  made  them  fast  for  the  night.  There  was  not 
room  on  the  ledge  for  a  camp,  but  by  going  out  around  a  pro- 
jection a  talus  was  available,  though  there  was  a  dearth  of 
wood  and  level  spots.  I  managed  to  find  enough  half-dead  mes- 
quite  bushes  for  a  fire,  and  Andy  did  his  best  on  the  supper. 
One  hundred  feet  above  the  river  I  found  driftwood.  To  add 
to  the  discomfort  of  the  occasion  the  rain  began  again,  and  the 
river  continued  its  rise.  Through  the  night  a  watch  was  kept 
on  the  boats,  so  that  they  could  be  lifted  farther  if  necessary. 
The  morning  of  August  31st  was  wet  and  gloomy  in  the  black 
gorge.  Some  of  the  rocks  were  still  above  water,  against  the 
wall.  When  the  boats  were  lowered  they  pounded  about  at  a 
frightful  rate  on  the  surges  that  swept  into  the  alcove.  Then 
it  was  found  that  a  hole  in  the  Dcaii  had  been  forgotten  or 
overlooked,  and  she  was  leaking  badly  in  the  middle  compart- 
ment. But  there  was  no  chance  to  stop  longer  here  for  repairs, 
as  the  river  seemed  to  be  still  rising.  A  bag  of  flour  was 
jammed  against  the  hole,  the  boat  was  loaded,  the  hatches  were 
battened  down,  we  grasped  our  oars,  and  while  the  Canouita 
crew  held  our  stern  to  give  us  a  fair  start  we  pulled  straight 
out  as  hard  as  we  could  to  clear  a  huge  rock  just  below,  upon 
which  the  current  was  fiercely  dashing.  Our  boat  was  so  wet 
and  full  of  water  that  the  gunwales  were  barely  above  the  sur- 
face as  we  rolled  heavily  along  through  large  waves.  I  felt 
very  uncertain  as  to  whether  or  not  she  would  remain  afloat 
till  we  could  make  a  landing,  but  luckily  she  did,  and  we  halted 
at  the  first  opportunity.  This  was  at  a  talus  on  the  right 
where  the  entire  cargo  was  spread  out  on  the  rocks  to  dry  in 
the  sun  which  now  cheered  us  by  its  warm  rays,  and  the  leak  in 
the  boat  was  stopped.  The  Canoiita  soon  came  down  safely. 
She  was  of  a  slightly  better  build  than  the  Dean,  and,  with  one 
less  man  in  her,  was  able  to  ride  more  buoyantly.  It  was  after 
four  o'clock  before  we  were  ready  to  go  on,  and  we  started 
once  more  with  a  fairly  tight  boat,  dry  inside.  Then  we  had 
a  wild  ride.     The  descent  was  steady.      For  eight  miles  there 


A  Wild  Ride 


333 


was  a  continuous  rapid,  accentuated  by  eight  heavy  falls.  The 
boats  sped  along  at  high  speed,  but  the  way  being  clear  we 
did  not  often  stop,  passing  two  places  where  the  former  expe- 
dition made  portages.     We  had  a  glimpse  of  a  creek  coming  in 


Looking  up  a  Side  Canyon  of  the  Grand  Canyon  in  the  Kaibab  Division. 

Photograph  by  J.  K.  Hillers,  U.  S.  Colo.  Riv.  Exp. 

on  the  right  which  looked  interesting,  but  it  was  left  behind  in 
a  moment  as  the  boats  shot  along  between  the  dark  granite 
walls.  At  a  quarter  past  five  we  ran  up  to  a  sand-bank  where 
a  lone  willow  tree  was  growing.  Here  we  made  a  camp.  The 
canyon  spread  a  little  and  the  wide  sand-bank  appeared  to  our 


334  The  Colorado  River 

eyes  like  a  prairie.  Just  below  our  camp  there  came  in  a 
muddy  stream,  which  on  the  other  trip  was  clear  and  was  then 
named  Bright  Angel  to  offset  the  application  of  Dirty  Devil  to 
the  river  at  the  foot  of  Narrow  Canyon. 

It  was  now  the  beginning  of  September,  but  the  water  and 
the  air  were  not  so  cold  as  they  had  been  the  year  before  in 
Cataract  Canyon,  and  we  did  not  suffer  from  being  so  con- 
stantly saturated.  Running  on  the  next  day  following  the 
Bright  Angel  camp,  we  found  the  usual  number  of  large  rapids, 
in  one  of  which  a  wave  struck  the  steering  oar  and  knocked 
Jones  out  of  the  boat  all  but  his  knees,  by  which  he  clung  to 
the  gunwale,  nearly  capsizing  us.  We  found  it  impossible  to 
help  him,  but  somehow  he  got  in  again.  The  river  was  every- 
where very  swift  and  turbulent.  One  stretch  of  three  and  a 
half  miles  we  ran  in  fifteen  minutes.  There  were  numerous 
whirlpools,  but  nothing  to  stop  our  triumphant  progress.  On 
the  2d  of  September  there  were  two  portages,  and  twenty 
rapids  run,  in  the  fifteen  miles  made  during  the  day.  I^.Iany 
of  these  rapids  were  very  heavy  descents.  That  night  we 
camped  above  a  bad-looking  place,  but  it  was  decided  to  run 
it  in  the  morning.  Three-quarters  of  a  mile  below  camp  there 
was  a  general  disappearance  of  the  waters.  We  could  see 
nothing  of  the  great  rapid  from  the  level  of  the  boats,  though 
we  caught  an  occasional  glimpse  of  the  leaping,  tossing  edges, 
or  tops,  of  the  huge  billows  rolling  out  beyond  into  the  farther 
depths  of  the  chasm.  About  eight  o'clock  in  the  morning  all 
was  ready  for  the  start.  The  inflated  life-preservers,  as  was 
customary  in  our  boat,  were  laid  behind  the  seats  where  we 
could  easily  reach  them.  The  Major  put  his  on,  a  most  fort- 
unate thing  for  him  as  it  turned  out,  but  we  who  were  at  the 
oars  did  not  for  the  reason  before  mentioned, — that  they  in- 
terfered with  the  free  handling  of  the  boat.  The  men  of  the 
Canojiita  took  positions  where  they  could  observe  and  profit  by 
our  movements.  Then  out  into  the  current  we  pushed  and 
were  immediately  swept  downward  with  ever-increasing  speed 
toward  the  centre  of  the  disturbance,  the  black  walls  springing 
up  on  each  side  of  the  impetuous  waters  like  mighty  buttresses 
for  the  lovely  blue  vault  of  the  September  sky,  so  serenely 


336  The  Colorado  River 

quiet.  Accelerated  by  the  rush  of  a  small  interv^ening  rapid, 
our  velocity  appeared  to  multiply  till  we  were  flying  along  like 
a  railway  train.  The  whole  width  of  the  river  dropped  away 
before  us,  falling  some  twent)--five  or  thirty  feet,  at  least,  in  a 
short  space.  We  now  saw  that  the  rapid  was  of  a  particularly 
■difficult  nature,  and  the  order  was  given  to  attempt  a  landing 
on  some  rocks  at  its  head,  on  the  left.  At  the  same  instant 
this  was  seen  to  be  impossible.  Our  only  safety  lay  in  taking 
the  plunge  in  the  main  channel.  We  backwatered  on  our  oars 
to  check  our  speed  a  trifle,  and  the  next  moment  with  a  wild 
leap  we  went  over,  charging  into  the  roaring,  seething,  beating 
waves  below.  Wave  after  wave  broke  over  us  in  quick  suc- 
cession, keeping  our  standing-rooms  full.  The  boat  plunged 
like  a  bucking  broncho,  at  the  same  time  rolling  with  fierce 
violence.  As  rapidly  as  possible  we  bailed  with  our  kettles, 
but  the  effort  was  useless.  At  length,  as  we  neared  the  end, 
an  immense  billow  broke  upon  our  port  bow  with  a  resounding 
crack.  The  little  craft  succumbed.  With  a  quick  careen  she 
turned  upside  down,  and  we  were  in  the  foaming  current.  I 
threw  up  my  hand  and  fortunately  grasped  a  spare  oar  that 
was  fastened  along  the  outside  of  the  boat.  This  enabled  me 
to  pull  myself  above  the  surface  and  breathe.  My  felt  hat  had 
stuck  to  my  head  and  now  almost  suffocated  me.  Pushing  it 
back  I  looked  around.  Not  a  sign  of  life  was  to  be  seen. 
The  river  disappeared  below  in  the  dark  granite.  My  com- 
panions were  gone.  I  was  apparently  alone  in  the  great  chasm. 
But  in  a  moment  or  two  Powell  and  Hillers,  who  had  both 
been  pulled  down  by  the  whirlpool  that  was  keeping  all  to- 
gether, shot  up  like  rockets  beside  me,  and  then  I  noticed 
Jones  clinging  to  the  ring  in  the  stern.  As  we  told  Powell, 
after  this  experience  was  over,  he  had  tried  to  make  a  geologi- 
cal investigation  of  the  bed  of  the  river,  and  this  was  not  ad- 
visable. Hillers  and  I  climbed  on  the  bottom  of  the  upturned 
boat,  and  by  catching  hold  of  the  opposite  gunwale,  and  throw- 
ing ourselves  back,  we  brought  her  right-side  up.  Then  we 
two  climbed  in,  an  operation  requiring  nice  calculation,  for  she 
rolled  so  much  with  the  load  of  water  that  her  tendency  was 
to  turn  over  again  on  slight  provocation.     W^e  bailed  with  our 


A  Miscalculation  337 

hats  rapidly.  There  was  need  for  expeditious  work,  for  we 
could  not  tell  what  might  be  around  the  corner.  Presently 
enough  water  was  out  to  steady  the  boat,  and  we  then  helped 
Powell  and  Jones  to  get  in.  Our  oars  had  fortunately  re- 
mained in  the  rowlocks,  and  grasping  them,  without  waiting  to 
haul  in  the  hundred  feet  of  line  trailing  in  the  current,  we  made 
for  the  left  wall,  where  I  managed  to  leap  out  on  a  shelf  and 
catch  the  rope  over  a  projection,  before  the  Cafionita,  un- 
harmed, dashed  up  to  the  spot ;  her  only  mishap  was  the  loss 
of  a  rowlock  and  two  oars. 

Starting  once  more  on  the  swift  current,  we  found  rapids 
sometimes  so  situated  that  it  was  dif^cult  to  make  a  landing 
for  examination.  At  one  of  these  places,  towards  evening,  a 
good  deal  of  time  was  spent  working  down  to  the  head  of  an 
ugly  looking  spot  which  could  not  be  fairly  seen.  An  enor- 
mous rock  lay  in  the  very  middle  at  the  head  of  the  descent. 
There  was  no  landing-place  till  very  near  the  plunge,  and  in 
dropping  down  when  we  came  to  the  point  where  it  was  planned 
that  I  should  jump  out  upon  a  projecting  flat  rock,  a  sudden 
lurch  of  the  boat  due  to  what  Stanton  afterwards  called  fount- 
ains, and  we  termed  boils,  caused  me,  instead  of  landing  on 
the  rock,  to  disappear  in  the  rushing  waters.  The  current 
catching  the  boat,  she  began  to  move  rapidly  stern  foremost 
toward  the  fall.  Powell  and  Jones  jumped  out  on  rocks  as 
they  shot  past,  hoping  to  catch  the  line,  but  they  could  not 
reach  it,  and  Jones  had  all  he  could  do  to  get  ashore.  Mean- 
while I  had  come  to  the  surface,  and  going  to  the  boat  by 
means  of  the  line  which  I  still  held,  I  fairly  tumbled  on  board. 
Hillers  handed  me  one  of  my  oars  which  had  come  loose,  and 
we  were  ready  to  take  the  fall,  now  close  at  hand,  albeit  we 
were  stern  first.  As  we  sped  down,  the  tide  carried  us  far  up 
on  the  huge  rock,  whose  shelving  surface  sank  upstream  below 
the  surging  torrent,  and  at  the  same  moment  turned  our  bow 
towards  the  left-hand  bank.  Perceiving  this  advantage  we 
pulled  with  all  our  strength  and  nhot  across  the  very  head  of 
the  rapid,  running  in  behind  a  large  rock  on  the  brink,  A\here 
the  boat  lodged  till  I  was  able  to  leap  ashore,  or  rather  to  an- 
other rock  where  there  was  a  footing,  and  make  fast  the  line. 


338 


The  Colorado  River 


It  was  a  close  shave.  The  Canonita,  forewarned,  was  able  to  let 
down  to  this  place,  from  whence  we  made  a  portage  to  the  bot- 
tom the  next  morning.  When  once  started  again,  we  found  our- 
selves in  a  \-ery  narrow  gorge,  where  for  four  or  five  miles  it  was 
impossible  to  stop  on  account  of  the  swift  current  which  swept 
the  boats  along  like  chaff  before  a  gale,  swinging  them  from 


The  Grand  Canyon,  Looking  down  from  Mouth  of  Kanab  Canyon  in  Winter. 
Photograph  by  E.  O.  Beaman. 


one  side  to  the  other,  and  often  turning  them  round  and  round 
in  the  large  whirlpools  despite  every  effort  we  made  to  prevent 
this  performance.  In  fact,  we  had  no  control  of  the  craft  in 
this  distance,  and  it  was  fortunate  that  there  was  nothing 
worse  to  be  here  encountered.  The  whirlpools  were  the  most 
perfect  specimens  I  ever  saw.     Usually  they  were  about  twenty 


Whirlpools 


339 


feet  in  diameter,  drawing  evenly  down  toward  the  vortex,  the 
centre  being  probably  about  eighteen  inches  to  two  feet  below 
the  rim.  The  vortex  at  the  top  was  about  six  to  ten  inches  in 
diameter,  diminishing  in  five  or  six  feet  to  a  mere  point  at  the 
bottom.  Our  boats  were  twenty-two  feet  long,  and  as  they 
were  turned  around  in  these  whirls  they  about  reached  across 
them,  while  we  could  look 
over  the  side  and  see  the  vor- 
tex sucking  down  every  small 
object.  The  opposite  of  these 
was  the  fountains,  or  boils, 
where  the  surface  was  exactly 
the  reverse  of  the  whirls :  a 
circular  mass  of  water  about 
twenty  feet  in  diameter  would 
suddenly  lift  itself  a  foot  or 
two  above  the  general  surface 
with  a  boiling,  swirling  move- 
ment. As  I  remember  them 
they  were  usually  the  forerun- 
ners of  the  whirlpools. 

The  river  was  still  on  the 
rise,  scoring  at  the  last  camp 
another  three  feet.  With  such 
a  dashing  current  the  time  we 
made  where  we  were  not  com- 
pelled to  move  cautiously  was 
admirable.  On  this  day  four- 
teen miles  were  traversed,  we 
ran  twenty-three  rapids,  and, 
what  pleased  us  most,  we  saw 
the  granite  disappear,  and  the 

comfortable-looking  red  strata  were  again  beside  us.  The 
river  widened  somewhat,  and  was  now  about  two  hundred  and 
fifty  feet.  A  cascade  was  passed  on  the  7th,  which  we  recog- 
nized as  one  Beaman,  who  had  climbed  up  to  it  during  the 
winter,  from  the  mouth  of  the  Kanab,  had  photographed. 
From  here  to  the  Kanab  was  ten  miles,  and  we  sailed  along 


The  Outlet  of  the  Creek  in  Surprise  Valley, 

near  the  Mouth  of  Kanab  Canyon, 

Grand  Canyon. 

Photograph  by  E.  O.  Beaman. 


340 


The  Colorado  River 


with  lii^htencd  hearts,  knowiiii^f  that  our  sadly  depleted  and 
half-ruined  stock  of  rations  would  soon  be  replenished,  and 
that  mail  from  the  world  would  be  delivered  by  the  pack-train 
we  expected  to  find  there.      Late  in  the  afternoon  we  arrived 


Moutli  of  Ivaiiab  Canyon. 

Abandoned  boats  of  the  U.  S.  Colo.  Riv.  Exp.,   1S72. 

The  Colorado  flow.s  just  beyond  the  points  on  the  left  and  right. 

Photograph  by  J.  K.  Hillers,  U.  S.  Colo.  Riv.  Exp. 


at  the  narrow  cleft,  and  our  men,  who  had  waited  long, 
were  overjoyed  to  greet  us  once  more,  for,  as  we  were  several 
days  overdue,  they  had  been  filled  with  forebodings,  and  had 
made  up  their  minds  they  would  never  see  us  again. 


Farewell  to  the  Boats  341 

From  the  Little  Colorado  we  had  travelled  over  ninety 
difficult  miles,  run  one  hundred  and  thirty-one  rapids,  made 
seven  portages,  and  let  down  six  times.  The  water  had  now 
fallen  again  some  three  feet,  but  it  was  still  so  high  that  it  had 
backed  up  into  the  side  canyon,  where  we  ran  the  boats  on 
account  of  an  excellent  camping-place.  Sunday  was  spent 
resting  here,  and  Thompson  took  observations  for  time.  On 
Monday  morning  we  expected  to  pack  up  again  and  proceed 
down  the  gorge,  but  Powell,  instead  of  directing  this  course, 
announced  that  he  had  decided  to  end  the  river  work  at  this 
point  on  account  of  the  extreme  high  water,  which  would  ren- 
der impassable  the  rapid  where  the  Rowlands  and  Dunn 
had  left.  In  addition,  word  was  brought  that  the  Shewits 
were  in  a  state  of  war  and  had  resolved  to  ambush  us  as  we 
came  down,  a  plot  that  had  been  revealed  by  a  friendly  mem- 
ber of  the  tribe  to  Jacob  Hamblin.  The  ambush  plan  did  not 
disturb  us  much,  however,  but  the  stage  of  water  for  the  be- 
ginning of  the  Second  Granite  Gorge  was  another  matter,  and 
there  was  no  telling  when  it  would  fall.  It  had  been  demon- 
strated by  our  winter's  explorations  that  it  would  not  be  ab- 
solutely necessary  for  us  to  continue  below  this  point  so  far  as 
perfecting  the  topographic  work  was  concerned,  and  as  we 
were  there  for  geographic  purposes  and  not  for  adventure,  the 
decision  was  against  unnecessary  risk.  This  decision  then  was, 
and  ever  since  has  been,  a  matter  of  great  disappointment  to 
me.  for  I  was  ready  to  finish  up  the  Grand  Canyon.  It  was 
with  mingled  feelings  of  regret  and  relief  that  I  helped  unload 
the  boats,  those  faithful  friends,  which  had  carried  us  safely 
over  so  many  miles  of  turbulent  river,  and  from  the  constant 
hourly  association  had  almost  taken  on  a  personality,  till  they 
seemed  like  members  of  the  party.  Sadly  I  turned  my  back 
on  their  familiar  lines  and  followed  the  pack-train  up  the  nar- 
row gorge  in  the  direction  of  Kanab. 


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CHAPTER   XIV 


A  Railway  Proposed  through  the  Canyons — The  Brown  Party,  i88g,  Undertakes 
the  Survey — Frail  Boats  and  Disasters — The  Dragon  Claims  Three — Collapse 
of  the  Expedition — Stanton  Tries  the  Feat  Again,  1889-90 — A  Fall  and  a 
Broken  Leg — Success  of  Stanton — The  Dragon  Still  Untrammelled. 

TI I E  topographic,  geologic,  and  geodetic  work  of  the  survey 
did  not  cease  with  our  departure  from  the  river,  but  was 
continued  in  the  remarkable  country  shown  in  the  relief  map 
opposite  page  41,  till  the  relationships  and  distances  of  the 
various  features  were  established  and  reduced  to  black  and 
\\hite.  That  autumn,  while  we  were  engaged  in  these  labours, 
Wheeler,  with  an  elaborate  outfit,  entered  the  region,  pursuing 
his  desultory  operations;  and,  drifting  along  the  north  side  of 
the  Grand  Canyon  for  a  little  distance,  he  proceeded  to  the 
neighbourhood  of  St.  George.  The  following  year,  for  some 
unknown  purpose,  he  crossed  the  Colorado  at  the  Paria,  though 
he  knew  that  Powell's  parties  had  previously  mapped  this  area. 
\\'hcn  the  winter  of  1872-73  had  fairly  set  in  we  established  a 
permanent  camp  at  Kanab,  where,  under  Thompson's  always 
efficient  direction,  our  triangulations  and  topographic  notes 
were  plotted  on  paper,  making  the  first  preliminary  map  of 
that  country.  When  this  was  ready,  Hillers  and  I  took  it,  and 
crossing  the  southern  end  of  the  High  Plateaus,  then  deep  with 
snow,  we  rode  by  way  of  the  Sevier  Valley  to  Salt  Lake,  where 
the  map  was  sent  on  by  express  to  Washington,  whither  Powell 
had  already  gone. 

Seventeen  years  passed  away  before  any  one  again  tried  to 
navigate  the  Colorado.  The  settling  of  the  country,  the 
knowledge  of  it  Powell  had  published,  the  completion  of  the 
Southern  Pacific  Railway  to  Yuma  in  1877,  ^.nd  of  the  Atlantic 

342 


A  Canyon  Railway 


343 


and  Pacific  from  Isleta  to  The  Needles,  in  1880-83,  and  of  the 
Rio  Grande  Western  across  the  Green  at  Gunnison  Valley, 
simplified  travel  in  the  Basin  of  the  Colorado.  A  new  railway- 
was  then  proposed  from  Grand  Junction,  Colorado,  down  the 
Colorado  River,  through  the  Canyons  to  the  Gulf  of  California, 
a  distance  of  twelve  hundred  miles.  At  that  time  coal  was  a 
difificult  article  to  procure  on  the  Pacific  Coast,  and  it  was 
thought  that  this  "water-level"  road,  crossing  no  mountains, 


Camp  at  Oak  Spring,  Uinkaret  Mountains. 

Photograph  b\-  J.  K.  Hillers,  U.  S.  CoLj.  Riv.  Exp. 


would  be  profitable  in  bringing  the  coal  of  Colorado  to  the 
Golden  Gate.  At  present  coal  in  abundance  is  to  be  had  in 
the  Puget  Sound  region,  and  this  reason  for  constructing  a 
Grand  Canyon  railway  is  done  away  with.  There  is  nothing 
to  support  a  railway  through  the  three  hundred  miles  of  the 
great  gorge  (or  through  the  other  two  hundred  miles  of  canyon 
to  the  Junction),  except  tourist  travel  and  the  possible  develop- 
ment of  mines.  These  are  manifestly  insufficient  at  the  pre- 
sent time  to  warrant  even  a  less  costly  railway,  which,  averaging 


;44 


The  Colorado  River 


about  four  thousand  feet  below  the  surface  of  the  surrounding- 
country,  would  be  of  little  service  to  those  living  away  from  its 
immediate  line,  and  there  is  small  chance  to  live  along  the 
line.      In  addition  the  floods  in  the  Grand  Canyon  are  enorm- 


*3? 


Mukoontuweap  Canyon,  North  Fork  of  the  Virgen. 
Ten  miles  long,  3500  feet  deep. 
Photograph  by  J.  K.  Hillers,  U.  S.  Geol.  Surv. 

ous  and  capricious.  Sometimes  heavy  torrents  from  cloud- 
bursts plunge  down  the  sides  of  the  canyon  and  these  would 
require  to  be  considered  as  well  as  those  of  the  river  itself. 
To  be  absolutely  safe  from  the  latter  the  line  would  probably 
require,  in  the  Grand  Canyon,  to  be  built  at  least  one  hundred 


Brown's  Expedition 


)45 


and  twenty  feet  above  low  water,  so  that  for  the  whole  distance 
through  the  Marble-Grand  Canyon  there  would  seldom  be  room 
beside  the  tracks  for  even  a  station.  But  Frank  M.  Brown 
had  faith,  and  a  company  for  the  construction  of  the  Denver, 
Colorado  Canyon,  and  Pacific  Railway  was  organised.      Brown 


Looking  down  the  Canyon  de  Chelly,  a  Tributary  of  the  San  Juan  and 
Containing  many  Cliff  Houses. 

Photograph  by  Ben.  Wittick. 

was  the  president,  and  in  1889  he  formed  an  expedition  to  sur- 
vey the  line. 

On  March  25th  the  preliminary  party,  consisting  of  F.  M. 
Brown,  F.  C.  Kendrick,  chief  engineer,  and  T.  P.  Rigney,  as- 
sistant engineer,  left  Denver  for  Grand  Junction,  a  station  on 
the  Rio  Grande  Western  (near  the  C  of  Colorado,  State  name 
on  map,  p.  51),  and  the  next  morning  set  the  first  stake  for  the 


34^  The  Colorado  River 

new  railway  which  was  to  cost  the  president  so  dear.  Then 
they  bought  a  boat  from  the  ferryman,  and  after  repairing  it 
laid  in  a  supply  of  rations,  engaged  some  men,  and  ran  a  half- 
mile  down  Grand  River.  Brown  then  left  to  go  East  in  order 
to  perfect  his  arrangements  for  this  attempt  to  survey  a  rail- 
way route  through  the  dangerous  canyons.  The  boat  party 
continued  down  Grand  River  to  the  head  of  the  canyon, 
twenty-four  miles,  and  then  more  slowly  descended  over 
rougher  water,  averaging  five  or  six  miles  a  day.  At  a  distance 
of  forty-three  miles  from  the  start  the  rapids  grew  very  bad, 
and  at  one  place  they  were  forced  to  make  a  portage  for  twelve 
miles.  At  the  end  of  one  hundred  miles  they  came  to  the 
little  Mormon  settlement  of  Moab.  From  here  to  the  Junction 
of  the  Grand  and  Green  was  a  distance  of  sixty  miles,  and  the 
water  was  the  same  as  it  is  just  above  the  Junction,  in  the 
canyons  of  the  Green,  Stillwater,  and  Labyrinth,  that  is,  com- 
paratively smooth  and  offering  no  obstacles  except  a  rather 
swift  current.  Nowhere  had  the  cliffs  risen  above  one  thou- 
sand feet,  and  the  river  had  an  average  fall  of  five  feet  to  the 
mile.  This  was  the  first  party  on  record  to  navigate,  for  any 
considerable  distance,  the  canyons  of  Grand  River.  From  the 
Junction  they  proceeded  up  the  Green,  towing  the  boat,  de- 
siring to  reach  the  Rio  Grande  Western  Railway  crossing,  one 
hundred  and  twenty  miles  away.  By  this  time  their  rations 
were  much  diminished  and  they  allowed  themselves  each  day 
only  one-half  the  ordinary  amount,  at  the  same  time  going  on 
up  the  river  as  fast  as  possible,  yet  at  the  end  of  about  eight 
days,  when  still  thirty  miles  from  their  destination,  they  were 
reduced  to  their  last  meal.  Fortunately  they  then  arrived  at 
the  cabin  of  some  cattlemen,  Wheeler  Brothers,  who,  discover- 
ing their  plight,  put  their  own  ample  larder,  with  true  Western 
hospitality,  at  the  surveyors'  disposal.  Thus  opportunely 
fortified  and  refreshed,  the  men  reached  the  railway  crossing 
the  following  night. 

In  reviewing  all  the  early  travels  through  this  inhospitable 
region,  one  is  struck  by  the  frequent  neglect  of  the  question  of 
food-supplies.  In  such  a  barren  land,  this  is  the  item  of  first 
importance,  and  yet  many  of  the  leaders  treated  it  apparently 


Frail  Boats  347 

as  of  slight  consequence.  Great  discomfort  and  suffering  and 
death  often  followed  a  failure  to  provide  proper  supplies,  or, 
when  provided,  to  take  sufficient  care  to  preserve  them. 

On  the  25th  of  May,  1889,  Brown's  party  was  ready  and 
started  from  the  point  where  the  Rio  Grande  Western  crosses 
Green  River.  There  were  sixteen  men  and  six  boats.  Five 
of  the  boats  were  new ;  the  sixth  was  the  one  Kendrick  and 
Rigney  had  used  on  the  Grand  River  trip.  The  chief  engineer 
of  the  proposed  railway  was  Robert  Brewster  Stanton,  and 
that  he  was  not  in  the  very  beginning  given  the  entire  manage- 
inent  was  most  unfortunate,  for  Brown  himself  seems  not  to 
have  had  a  realisation  of  the  enormous  difficulties  of  the  task 
before  him.  But  the  arrangements  were  completed  before 
Stanton  was  engaged.  All  the  men  were  surprised,  disap- 
pointed, dismayed,  at  the  character  of  the  boats  Brown  had 
provided  for  this  dangerous  enterprise,  and  Stanton  said  his 
heart  sank  at  the  first  sight  of  them.  They  were  entirely  in- 
adequate, built  of  cedar  instead  of  oak,  only  fifteen  feet  long 
and  three  feet  wide,  and  weighed  but  one  hundred  and  fifty 
pounds  each.  They  would  have  been  beautiful  for  an  ordinary 
river,  but  for  the  raging,  plunging,  tumultuous  Colorado  their 
name  was  suicide.  Then  not  a  life-preserver  had  been  brought. 
This  neglect  was  another  shock  to  the  members  of  the  party 
and  their  friends.  Stanton  was  urged  to  take  one  for  himself, 
but  he  declined  to  provide  this  advantage  over  the  other  men. 
Since  then  he  has  been  disposed  to  blame  Powell  for  not  telling 
Brown  that  life-preservers  are  a  necessity  on  the  Colorado. 
He  also  says  that  Powell  even  declared  to  Brown  that  they 
were  not  imperative,  and  he  consequently  censures  him  for  the 
subsequent  disasters.  There  was  certainly  a  misunderstanding 
in  this,  for  Powell,  knowing  the  situation  from  such  abund- 
ant experience,  never  could  have  said  life-preservers  were  not 
necessary,  though  on  his  first  trip  he  did  not  have  any.  In 
this  connection  Thompson  writes  me:  "The  Major  sent  for  me 
at  once  when  Mr.  Brown  called  at  the  office.  I  think  we  talked 
— we  three,  I  mean — for  half  an  hour,  then  the  Major  said,  '  Pro- 
fessor Thompson  knows  just  as  much  about  the  river  as  I  do, 
and  more  about  what  is  necessary  for  such  a  trip  ;  you  talk  with 


34S  The  Colorado  River 

him.'  I  took  Mr.  Brown  to  my  room  and  we  had  a  long  talk. 
I  think  the  next  day  Mr.  Brown  came  again.  I  had  two  inter- 
views with  him  alone.  I  told  him  distinctly  that  life-preservers 
were  necessary.  I  probably  told  him  we  did  not  wear  them 
all  the  time,  but  I  told  him  we  put  them  on  at  every  dangerous 
rapid,  and  I  showed  him  the  picture  in  the  Major's  Report 
where  we  were  wearing  them.  I  clearly  remember  telling  him 
to  have  one  arm  above  and  one  below  the  preserver.  I  am 
positive  about  this,  for  after  we  received  word  of  the  loss  of 
Brown  we  talked  it  over  and  I  recalled  the  conversation.  He 
impressed  me  as  thinking  we  exaggerated  the  dangers  of  the 
ri\-er.  He  made  a  memorandum  of  things  I  said.  I  think  he 
also  talked  with  Millers,  and  I  have  no  doubt  the  latter  told 
him  to  take  life-preservers.  But  he  had  the  Report,  and  there 
is  no  excuse  for  his  neglecting  so  indispensable  an  article  of  the 
outfit.  He  was  warned  over  and  over  again  to  neglect  no  pre- 
caution. I  distinctly  remember  that  the  Major  told  him  in  so 
many  words,  'not  to  underestimate  the  dangers  of  the  river, 
and  to  never  be  caught  off  guard.'"  On  a  previous  page 
I  have  remarked  that  proper  boats  and  a  knowledge  of 
how  to  handle  them  are  more  important  than  life-preservers, 
but  that  does  not  mean  that  a  party  should  leave  the  life- 
preservers  behind.  In  descending  the  Colorado  every  pos- 
sible precaution  must  be  taken.  The  first  of  these  is  the 
right  kind  of  boats,  second,  proper  arrangement  as  to  food- 
supplies,  and,  third,  life-preservers,  etc.  The  New  York  Tri- 
bune, after  the  collapse  of  this  Brown  expedition,  quotes  Powell 
in  an  interview  as  saying  that  he  would  not  have  ventured  in 
the  boats  Brown  selected  and  that  he  thought  Brown  "failed  to 
comprehend  the  significant  fact  that  nothing  can  get  through 
the  Colorado  Canyon  that  cannot  float.  Boats  are  repeatedly 
upset  and  inferior  boats  are  mashed  like  egg-shells."  Brown, 
undoubtedly,  was  rather  inclined  to  look  upon  the  descent 
somewhat  lightly.  Being  a  brave,  energetic  man  it  was  hard 
for  him  to  believe  that  this  river  demanded  so  much  extra  prud- 
ence and  caution,  when  Powell  had  successfully  descended  it 
twice  without,  so  far  as  the  water  was  concerned,  losing  a  man. 
However,  the  ill-fated  expedition  went  on  its  way. 


The  Brown  Party 


349 


The  boats  were  so  frail  that  the  journey  by  rail,  some  ten 
days,  had  opened  their  sides  in  a  number  of  places,  and  they 
had  to  be  immediately  recalked.  The  bottoms  were  covered 
with  copper.  The  party  consisted  of  the  following  persons : 
Frank  M.  Brown,  president;  Robert  Brewster  Stanton,  chief 
engineer;  John  Hislop,  first  assistant  engineer;  C.  W.  Potter, 
T.  P.  Rigney,  E. 
A.  Reynolds,  J. 
H.  Hughes.W.  H. 
Bush,  Edward 
Coe,  Edward 
,  Peter  Hans- 
borough,  Henry 
Richards,  G.  W. 
Gibson,  Charles 
Potter,  F.A.Nims, 
photographer, 
and  J.  C.  Terry. 
The  baggage  of 
each  man  was  limi- 
ted to  twenty-five 
pounds.  The  car- 
goes were  packed 
in  air-tight  zinc 
boxes  three  feet 
long,  with  one  of 
which  each  boat 
was  provided,  but 
these  were  found 
to  be  cumbersome 
and    heavy,     the 

boats  being  down  to  within  one  inch  of  the  gunwales  in  the 
water,  so  they  were  taken  out  and  all  lashed  together,  form- 
ing a  sort  of  raft.  This  carried  about  one-third  of  all  the 
supplies,  and  all  the  extra  oars  and  rope,  a  most  unwise 
arrangement  from  every  point  of  view.  The  nondescript  craft 
hampered  their  movements,  could  not  be  controlled,  and  if  once 
it  got  loose  everything  was  sure  to  be  lost.      It  would  have 


A  Cave-Lake  in  a  Sandstone  Cliff  near  Kanab,  S.  Utah. 

The  depth  from  front  to  rear  is  about  125  feet.     The  outer 

opening  is  the  whole  front  of  the  arch.     It  belongs  to  the 

class  of  natural  arches,  alcoves,  bridges,  "holes  in  the 

wall,"  etc.,  common  in  this  kind  of  sandstone 

throughout  the  Southwest. 

Photograph  by  J.  K.  Hillers,  U.  S.  Colo.  Riv.  Exp. 


350  The  Colorado  Rixer 

been  better  to  throw  these  boxes  away  at  once  and  take  what 
the  boats  could  carry  and  no  more,  but  this  was  apparently  not 
thought  of.  All  things  considered,  it  is  a  wonder  this  party 
ever  got  through  Cataract  Cain'on  alive.  At  some  little  rapid, 
after  leaving  the  railway  crossing,  the  first  boat  stove  a  hole  in 
her  side,  but  this  was  readily  repaired  and  the  party  ran  with- 
out further  accident  over  the  smooth  stretches  of  ri\'cr  preced- 
ing the  Junction,  arriving  at  this  latter  point  in  four  days. 
They  were  now  on  the  threshold  of  Cataract  Canyon.  Stop- 
ping to  adjust  instruments  and  repair  boats  for  a  day,  they 
proceeded  to  the  battle  with  the  cataracts  on  May  31st.  For 
forty-one  miles  they  would  now  have  their  courage,  muscle, 
and  nerve  put  to  the  full  test.  Stanton  records  seventy-five 
rapids  and  cataracts,  fifty-seven  of  them  within  a  space  of  nine- 
teen miles,  with  falls  in  places  of  sixteen  to  twenty  feet.  This, 
then,  was  what  they  were  approaching  with  these  frail  craft. 
Two  miles  down  they  heard  the  roar  of  falling  water  and  the 
place  was  reconnoitred,  with  the  result  that  a  large  rapid  was 
found  to  bar  the  way.  The  raft  of  provisions,  and  the  boat 
that  had  towed  it,  were  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  river,  which 
afforded  no  chance  for  a  camp  or  a  portage,  and  a  signal  was 
made  for  the  party  to  come  over.  A  half  mile  intervened 
between  this  boat  and  the  head  of  the  rapid,  but  with  the  en- 
cumbering raft  it  was  drawn  down  so  dangerously  near  the  de- 
scent that,  to  save  themselves,  the  rope  holding  the  raft  was 
cut.  Thus  freed  the  boat  succeeded  in  landing  just  at  the 
head  of  the  fall,  but  the  raft  went  over,  and  that  was  the  end 
of  it.  The  fragments  were  found  scattered  all  the  way  through 
the  canyon.  The  next  twenty-eight  miles  were  filled  with  mis- 
haps and  losses.  Twelve  miles  farther  down,  the  boat  in  which 
Brown,  Hughes,  and  Reynolds  were  running  a  rapid  capsized. 
The  men  clung  to  her  for  a  mile  and  a  half  and  then  succeeded 
in  getting  ashore.  The  rapids  in  this  part  are  very  close  to- 
gether, and  to  these  men  it  seemed  like  one  continuous  cataract, 
which  it  very  nearly  is.  On  the  same  day  another  boat  con- 
taining the  cooking  outfit  struck  a  rock  and  went  to  pieces. 
The  provisions  she  carried  were,  most  of  them,  contributed  to 
the  maw  of  the  drasron  to  follow  those  of  the  unfortunate  raft. 


Disasters  351 

Sometimes  the  boats  got  away  from  the  men  altogether,  run- 
ning wild,  finally  lodging  somewhere  below  to  be  found  again 
with  the  contents  missing.  Soon  they  had  so  many  large  holes 
in  them  that  one.  No.  3,  had  to  be  broken  up  to  obtain  materials 
for  repairing  the  others.  Thus  the  party,  by  the  time  they  had 
fairly  arrived  at  the  deepest  and  worst  portion  of  this  splendid 
chasm,  were  in  a  sad  plight,  but  a  plight  mainly  due  to  the 
original  bad  planning  and  mismanagement,  and  not  necessary 
in  navigating  this  gorge.  They  seldom  attempted  to  cross  the 
river,  working  down  along  one  side  and  never  entering  the 
boats  at  all  except  where  absolutely  necessary.'  Thus  they 
were  greatly  hampered  in  their  movements.  With  our  boats 
we  never  gave  the  crossing  of  the  river  a  thought,  and  were  in 
them  continually,  except  where  a  portage  was  demanded.  We 
could  therefore  always  choose  our  course  with  as  much  freedom 
as  is  possible.  But  it  must  not  be  forgotten  that  the  Brown  party 
w'ere  in  Cataract  Canyon  about  the  time  of  high  water,  wdiile 
we  passed  through  at  a  lower  stage.  This  would  make  a  differ- 
ence, low  water  being  in  all  the  canyons  far  safer,  though  the 
work  is  harder  on  the  men  and  the  boats.  By  the  15th  of  June 
all  provisions  had  disappeared  except  a  sack  and  a  half  of  flour, 
presumably  one  hundred  pounds  to  the  sack,  a  little  coffee, 
some  sugar,  and  condensed  milk.  The  flour  was  all  baked  and 
divided  equally,  each  man  receiving  two  and  one  half  pounds 
of  bread,  one  pound  of  sugar,  and  four  ounces  of  coffee.  At 
one  point  they  fortunately  found  a  barrel  of  cut  loaf-sugar 
amongst  the  driftwood.  This  had  been  lost  from  some 
army-supplies  crossing  at  Gunnison  Valley  up  the  Green, 
or  up  Grand  River,  and  they  also  found,  a  little  below  this, 
pieces  of  a  waggon  with  the  skeleton  of  a  man.  These 
also  had,  of  course,  come  from  at  least  a  hundred  miles 
above  the  Junction  on  the  Green,  or  sixty  miles  up  the  Grand, 
as  no  waggon  could  get  to  the  river  at  any  place  nearer  to 
Cataract  Canyon.  The  w^aggon-box  had  probably  acted  as 
a  raft,  bearing  its  gruesome  passenger  all  these  long  miles 
into  the  heart  of  the  mighty  gorge,  where  the  dragon  stored 

i  Mr.  Stanton  has  called  my  attention  to  the  fact  that  as  he  was  running  a 
railway  survey  down  one  side,  he  wanted  to  keep  to  that  side. 


352 


The  Colorado  River 


his  prize,  and   for  many  a  year  treasured   it  among  the  deep 
shadows. 

They    had    still    fifteen    miles    of    Cataract    Canyon    and 
the  ten  miles  of  the  more  kindly  Narrow  before   them,   and 


ONE  OF  THE  JULIEN  INSCRIPTIONS 

"D.  Julien— 1836-3  Mai." 

A  similar  inscription  has  been  found  in  two  other  places.     This  one  is  at  "Hellroarin  Bottom'' 

in  Labyrinth  Canyon,  Green  River — about  half-way  round  Bowknot  Bend. 

Photograph  by  R.  G.  Leonard 

Brown  was  now  to  hurry  along  and  attempt  to  reach  some 
placer  mines  at  Dandy  Crossing,  near  the  mouth  of  Fremont 
River,  where  there  were  a  few  miners  and  where  some  food 
might  be  obtained.  Ancient  dwellings  were  seen  all  along  the 
gorge  in  the  side  canyons,  some  completely  ruined,  others  in  a 


Water  and  Hope  353 

fair  state  of  preservation,  but  the  inhabitants  had  gone  long 
ago,  and  no  help  could  be  hoped  for  in  this  direction.  Most 
of  the  men  now  became  thoroughly  discouraged  at  the  dismal 
prospect  and  wished  to  abandon  immediately  and  entirely  the 
enterprise,  but  Stanton  was  not  of  that  mind.  The  difficulties 
showed  him  how  hard  it  would  be  to  do  this  part  over  again, 
and  he  resolved  to  stay  and  finish  the  work  as  far  as  possible 
now.  His  first  assistant,  Hislop,  G.  W.  Gibson,  the  coloured 
cook,  and  the  coloured  steward,  H.  C.  Richards,  volunteered  to 
stand  by  him,  and  the  next  morning  the  eleven  others  pushed 
on,  leaving  a  boat  for  these  five  to  follow  with.  For  six  days 
this  determined  little  crew  worked  along  at  the  rate  of  about 
four  miles  a  day,  with  a  ration  of  one  small  scrap  of  bread,  a 
little  coffee,  and  some  condensed  milk  for  breakfast  and  sup- 
per, and  three  lumps  of  sugar  for  dinner.  Stanton  says  there 
was  not  a  murmur  of  discontent  from  the  men  "carrying  the 
survey  over  the  rocks  and  cliffs  on  the  side  of  the  canyon, 
and  handling  the  boat  through  the  rapids  of  the  river.  At 
night,  when  they  lay  down  on  the  sand  to  sleep,  after  a  meal 
that  was  nine-tenths  water  and  hope  and  one-tenth  bread  and 
coffee,  it  was  without  complaint."  Relief  was  had  on  the  sixth 
day,  when  they  met  a  boat  being  towed  up  with  provisions. 
This  was  near  the  end  of  Narrow  Canyon.  At  one  point  in 
the  lower  part  of  Cataract  they  passed  a  place  where,  on  a 
rock  surface  about  six  feet  above  the  level  of  the  water,  they 
saw  the  inscription,  "D.  JULIEN — 1836."  They  thought  it 
could  have  been  cut  only  from  a  boat  or  raft,  and  concluded 
that  it  was  done  by  a  party  of  Canadians  which  they  heard  had 
tried  to  explore  this  country  at  that  early  day.  This  inscrip- 
tion occurs  also  in  two  other  known  places,  near  the  lower  part 
of  Stillwater  Canyon  (four  or  five  miles  above  mouth  of  Grand 
River),  and  farther  up,  about  the  middle  of  Bowknot  Bend, 
Labyrinth  Canyon,  Green  River.  (See  cut,  page  352.)  At 
Dandy  Crossing,  the  party  rested  a  few  days,  the  boats  were 
repaired,  and  fresh  supplies  of  food  purchased.  They  met 
near  here  Jack  Sumner,  of  Powell's  first  party.  From  this 
place  to  the  head  of  Marble  Canyon,  the  mouth  of  the  Paria, 
it  is  plain  and  easy  going,  at  least  for  any  one  who  has  been 

as 


354  The  Colorado  River 

through  Cataract  Canyon,      Brown  and  Stanton   went   ahead 
with  six  men,  the  others  coming  along  later  with  the  survey. 

At  Dandy  Crossing  three  of  the  party  left  the  river — J.  N. 
Hughes,  E.  A.  Reynolds,  and  T.  P.  Rigney.  One  man  joined 
the  party,  Harry  McDonald,  a  frontiersman  and  an  experi- 
enced boatman.  From  Lee's  Ferry,  Brown  went  on  horseback 
to  Kanab  for  supplies,  for  Dandy  Crossing  was  not  a  metropo- 
lis, and  more  rations  were  needed  before  venturing  to  enter 
the  Grand  Canyon.  Only  one  transit  instrument  was  left,, 
and  it  was  decided  that  Brown,  Stanton,  Hislop,  McDonald, 
Hansborough,  Richards,  Gibson,  and  Nims,  the  photographer, 
should  form  the  party  to  proceed,  making  an  examination, 
taking  notes  and  photographs,  but  not  attempting  an  instru- 
mental survey.  Brown  returned  from  Kanab  by  July  9th,  and 
an  immediate  start  was  made  with  the  three  boats, — boats  en- 
tirely unfitted  for  the  work  in  Cataract  Canyon,  and  tenfold 
more  inadequate  for  the  giant  gorge,  with  its  terrible  descents, 
now  before  them.  It  seems  a  pity  they  did  not  realise  this  and 
leave  the  continuation  of  the  work  till  proper  boats  could  be 
had,  but  it  appears  as  if  they  again  underestimated  the  dangers 
of  the  river.  At  any  rate  they  went  bravely  forward  with  a 
courage  that  deserved  a  better  reward.  The  first  ugly  rapids- 
in  Marble  Canyon  are  the  two  near  together  about  ten  miles 
below  Lee's  Ferry,  where  the  prospectors  met  their  punish- 
ment early  in  July,  1 872.  These  the  Brown  party  reached 
safely,  and  made  the  necessary  portages,  camping  at  the  foot 
of  the  Soap  Creek  or  lower  fall.  Brown  appeared  to  feel 
lonely  and  troubled,  and  asked  Stanton  to  come  and  sit  by  his 
bed  and  talk.  They  smoked  and  talked  till  a  late  hour  about 
home  and  the  prospect  for  the  next  day.  Brown's  wife  and 
two  children  were  at  this  time  travelling  in  Europe  and  prob- 
ably the  thought  of  them  so  far  away  made  him  somewhat 
blue.  Then,  if  he  had  before  thought  that  this  canyon  would 
be  easy,  the  nature  of  the  rapids  around  him  served  to  unde- 
ceive his  mind.  The  deepening  gorge,  inadequate  boats,  and 
increasingly  bad  rapids  probably  affected  his  nerves,  for  that 
night  he  dreamed  of  the  rapids,  and  this  troubled  him  so  much 
that  he  mentioned  it  to  Stanton   in  the  morning.      Breakfast 


Death  of  Brown 


355 


over,  they  went  on.  We  had  camped  at  the  head  of  the  Soap 
Creek  Rapids,  and  this  party  at  the  foot.  In  the  first  rapid 
below,  which  was  one  of  five  that  we  easily  ran  before  stopping 
for  dinner,  Brown's  boat  was  capsized.  He  and  his  oarsman, 
McDonald,  were  thrown  out  on  opposite  sides,  McDonald  into 
the  current  and  Brown  unfortunately  into  the  eddy,  where  he 
was  drawn  under  by  one  of  the  whirlpools  numerous  in  this 
locality,    and    was    never   seen    again.       A    half-minute    later 


Marble  Canyon,  Lower  Portion. 

Walls  about  3500  feet. 
From  photograph  by  J.  K.  Hillers,  U.  S.  Colo.  Riv.  Exp. 

Stanton's  boat  passed  the  spot,  but  all  he  saw  was  the  lost 
leader's  note-book  on  the  surface  of  the  angry  waters  which 
had  so  suddenly  swallowed  up  its  owner.  The  whole  day  long 
the  party  sat  sadly  watching  the  place  to  see  if  the  treacherous 
river  would  give  up  the  dead,  but  darkness  fell  in  the  gorge, 
and  the  Colorado  dashed  along  toward  the  sea  as  if  no  boat 
had  ever  touched  its  relentless  tide.  What  was  one  man  more 
or  less  to  this  great  dragon's  maw!  For  three  days  after  the 
others  battled  their  way  along  without  further  disaster,  and 
then  came  Sunday,   when  they  rested.       On    Monday,   while 


;56 


The  Colorado  River 


Stanton  and  Nims  were  making  notes  and  photographs,  the 
men  were  to  finish  up  the  lower  end  of  the  second  of  two  very- 
bad  rapids  where  portages  were  made.  Stanton's  boat,  con- 
taining Hansborough  and  Richards,  was  following  the  first  boat, 
which  had  made  the  stretch  with  difficultv  because  the  current 


Looking  West  from  Jacob's  Pool  .m  Road  t')  Lee's  Ferry.     Vermilii  r.  li;:;     ;:i  Distance. 
The  "Jacob"  after  whom  the  pool  was  named  was  Jacob  Hamblin. 
This  is  the  country  Stanton  was  in  after  leaving  the  river. 
Photograph  by  W.  Bell. 

set  against  the  left-hand  cliff.  The  second  boat  w-as  driven 
against  the  foot  of  this  wall  under  an  overhanging  shelf,  and  in 
the  attempt  to  push  her  off  she  was  capsized  and  Hansborough 
never  rose  again.  Richards,  who  w^as  a  strong  swimmer,  made 
some  distance  down-stream,  but  before  the  first  boat  could 
reach  him  he  sank,  and  that  was  the  end  for  him.  This  terrible 
disaster,  added  to  the  death  of  Brown,  and  the  foolhardiness 


Leaving  the  River  357 

of  proceeding  farther  with  such  boats  as  they  had,  forced  the 
decision  which  should  have  been  made  at  Lee's  Ferry.  Stanton 
resolved  to  leave  the  river,  but  with  the  determination  to  return 
again  to  battle  with  the  dragon  at  the  earliest  opportunity. 
The  next  thing  was  to  get  out  of  the  canyon.  They  searched 
for  some  side  canyon  leading  in  from  the  north,  by  means  of 
which  they  might  return  to  the  world,  and  just  above  Vesey's 
Paradise  they  found  it  and  spent  their  last  night  in  Marble 
Canyon  at  that  point.  From  the  rapid  where  Brown  was  lost, 
to  Vesey's  Paradise,  my  diary  records  that  on  our  expedition 
of  1872  we  ran  twenty-six  rapids,  let  down  four  times,  and 
made  two  portages,  all  without  any  particular  difficulty.  I 
mention  this  merely  to  show  the  difference  proper  boats  make 
in  navigating  this  river,  for  the  season  was  nearly  the  same ; 
Brown  was  there  in  July  and  we  in  August,  both  the  season  of 
high  water.  The  night  passed  by  Stanton  and  his  disheartened 
but  courageous  band  at  Vesey's  Paradise  was  long  to  be  re- 
membered, for  one  of  the  violent  thunder-storms  frequent  in 
the  canyon,  in  summer,  came  up.  The  rain  fell  in  floods,  while 
about  midnight  the  storm  culminated  in  a  climax  of  fury. 
Stanton  says  that  in  all  his  experience  in  the  Western  mount- 
ains he  never  heard  anything  like  it.  "Nowhere  has  the  awful 
grandeur  equalled  that  night  in  the  lonesome  depths  of  what 
was  to  us  death's  canyon."  The  next  day  Avas  fair,  and  by 
two  in  the  afternoon,  July  19th,  they  were  on  the  surface  of 
the  country,  twenty-five  hundred  feet  above  the  river,  and 
that  night  reached  a  cattle  ranch. 

By  November  25th  of  the  same  year  (1889)  the  indefatigable 
Stanton  had  organised  a  new  party  to  continue  the  railway  sur- 
vey. He  still  had  confidence  in  the  scheme,  and  he  refused  to 
give  up.  And  this  time  the  boats  were  planned  w^ith  some  re- 
gard to  the  waters  upon  which  they  were  to  be  used.  Mc- 
Donald was  sent  to  superintend  their  building  at  the  boatyard 
of  H.  H.  Douglas  &  Co.,  Waukegan,  Illinois.  There  were 
three,  each  twenty-tw^o  feet  long,  the  same  as  our  boats,  four 
and  one-half  feet  beam,  and  twenty-two  inches  deep,  and  each 
w^eighed  850  pounds.  They  were  built  of  half-inch  oak,  on 
plans   furnished   by   Stanton,    with    ribs    one-and-one-half   by 


358 


The  Colorado  River 


three-quarters  of  an   inch,  placed  four  inches  apart,  all  copper 
fastened.      Each  boat  had  ten  separate  air-tight  galvanised-iron 


Robert  Brewster  Stanton. 
Chief  Engineer  of  the  Brown  Expedition  and  Commander-in-Chief  of  the  Stanton 

Expedition. 
Recent  photograph  by  K.\ufman-n-,  Pittsburgh. 

compartments  running  around  the  sides,  and  they  were  so 
arranged  that  the  canned  goods  could  be  put  under  the  foot- 
boards for  ballast.     There  was  a  deck  fore  and  aft,  and  there 


Stanton's  Expedition  359 

were  life-lines  along  the  sides.  They  were  certainly  excellent 
boats,  and  while  in  some  respects  I  think  our  model  was  better, 
■especially  because  the  two  transverse  bulkheads  amidships  in 
ours  tended  to  make  their  sides  very  strong  and  stiff,  yet  these 
boats  of  Stanton's  were  so  good  that  the  men  would  be  safe  as 
long  as  they  handled  them  correctly.  Cork  life-preservers  of 
the  best  quality  were  provided,  and  the  order  was  for  each  man 
to  wear  his  whenever  in  rough  or  uncertain  water.  All  stores 
and  provisions  were  packed  in  water-tight  rubber  bags,  made 
like  ocean  mail-sacks,  expressly  for  the  purpose.  The  expedi- 
tion was  thus  well  provided. 

From  the  railway '  the  boats  were  hauled  on  waggons  to  the 
mouth  of  Crescent  Creek  near  Fremont  River,  so  as  to  avoid 
doing  Cataract  Canyon  over  again.  There  were  twelve  men, 
of  whom  four  had  been  with  the  Brown  party.  They  were  R. 
B.  Stanton,  Langdon  Gibson,  Harry  McDonald,  and  Elmer 
Kane,  in  boat  No.  i,  called  the  Bonnie  Jean ;  John  Hislop^ 
F.  A.  Nims,  Reginald  Travers,  and  VV.  H.  Edwards  in  boat 
No.  2,  called  the  Lillie ;  and  A.  B.  Twining,  H.  G.  Ballard, 
L.  G.  Brown,  and  James  Hogue,  the  cook,  in  the  Marie,  boat 
No.  3.  Christmas  dinner  was  eaten  at  Lee's  Ferry,  with  wild 
flowers  picked  that  day  for  decoration.  On  the  28th  they 
started  into  the  great  canyon,  passed  the  old  wreck  of  a  boat 
and  part  of  a  miner's  outfit,  and  on  the  31st  reached  the  rapid 
where  Brown  was  lost.  It  was  now  the  season  of  low  water, 
and  the  rapid  appeared  less  formidable,  though  on  entering  it 
the  place  was  seen  to  be  in  general  the  same,  yet  the  water 
was  nine  feet  lower.  The  next  day  Nims,  the  photographer, 
fell  from  a  ledge  a  distance  of  twenty-two  feet,  receiving  a 
severe  jar  and  breaking  one  of  his  legs  just  above  the  ankle. 
The  break  was  bandaged,  and  one  of  the  boats  being  so  loaded 
that  there  was  a  level  bed  for  the  injured  man  to  lie  on,  they 
ran  down  about  two  miles  to  a  side  canyon  coming  in  from 
the  north.  By  means  of  this  Stanton  climbed  out,  walked 
thirty-five  miles  to  Lee's  Ferry,  and  brought  a  waggon  back  to 
the  edge.  Nims  was  placed  on  an  improvised  stretcher,  and 
carried  up  the  cliffs,  four  miles  in  distance  and  seventeen  hun- 
dred feet  in  altitude.     At  half-past  three  in  the  afternoon  the 

1  The  Rio  Grande  Western.     The  route  was  west  of  the  river. 


;6o 


The  Colorado  River 


surface  was  reached.  Twice  the  stretcher  had  to  be  swung 
alon^  by  ropes  where  there  was  no  footing,  and  twice  had  to 
be  perpendicuhirly  Hfted  ten  or  fifteen  feet.     No  one  was  in- 


The  Grand  Canyon. 

In  the  First  Granite  Gorge. 

Upper  walls  are  not  seen.     Those  in  sight  are  looo  to  1200  feet. 

Above  they  rise  in  terraces  to  between  5000  and  6000. 

Photograph  by  J.  K.  Hillers,  U.  S.  Colo.  Riv.  Exp. 

jured.  Nims  was  taken  to  Lee's  Ferry  and  left  with  W.  M. 
Johnson,  who  had  been  a  member  of  our  land  parties  during 
the  winter  of  1871-72,  and  who  had  come  with  the  Caiionita 
party  through  Glen  Canyon.     Nims  was  in  good  hands.     After 


Point  Hansborough  361 

this  accident  Stanton  was  obliged  to  assume  the  duties  of 
photographer  and  took  some  seven  hundred  and  fifty  views 
without  previous  experience. 

By  January  13th  they  had  arrived  at  Point  Retreat,  where 
the  canyon  had  before  been  abandoned,  and  here  they  found 
the  supplies  and  blankets  they  had  cached  in  a  marble  cave  in 
perfect  condition.  The  new  boats  were  so  well  suited  to  the 
river  work  that  they  were  able  to  run  most  of  the  rapids  just 
as  we  had  done,  often  going  at  the  rate  of  fifteen  miles  an 
hour,  and  sometimes  by  actual  measurement,  twenty.  Ten 
miles  below  Point  Retreat,  and  twenty-five  miles  above  the 
Little  Colorado,  when  they  were  going  into  camp  one  evening 
they  discovered  the  body  of  Peter  Hansborough.  The  next 
morning,  with  a  brief  ceremony,  they  buried  the  remains  at 
the  foot  of  the  cliff,  carving  his  name  on  the  face  of  the  rock, 
and  a  point  opposite  was  named  after  the  unfortunate  man. 
From  Point  Hansborough  the  canyon  widens,  "the  marble 
benches  retreat,  new  strata  of  limestone,  quartzite,  and  sand- 
stone come  up  from  the  river,"  writes  Stanton,  "and  the  debris 
forms  a  talus  equal  to  a  mountain  slope.  Here  the  bottoms 
widen  into  little  farms  covered  with  green  grass  and  groves  of 
mesquite,  making  a  most  charming  summer  picture,  in  strong 
contrast  with  the  dismal  narrow  canyons  above."  They  then 
passed  the  Little  Colorado  and  entered  the  Grand  Canyon 
proper,  meeting  with  a  lone  prospector  in  the  wide  portion  just 
below  the  Little  Colorado,  the  only  person  they  had  seen  in 
any  of  the  canyons  traversed. 

Arriving  at  the  First  Granite  Gorge  (Archaean  formation), 
they  were  at  the  beginning  of  the  wildest  stretch  of  river  of  all, 
perhaps  the  wildest  to  be  found  anywhere,  the  fall  in  the  first 
ten  miles  averaging  twenty-one  feet  to  the  mile,  the  greatest 
average  except  in  Lodore  and  a  portion  of  Cataract,  and  as 
this  descent  is  not  spread  over  the  ten  miles,  but  occurs  in  a 
series  of  falls  with  comparatively  calm  water  between,  it  is  not 
hard  to  picture  the  conditions.  Stanton  also  pronounces  these 
rapids  of  the  First  Granite  Gorge  the  most  powerful  he  saw, 
except  two  in  the  Second  Granite  Gorge.  On  January  29th 
they  had  cautiously  advanced  till  they  were  before  the  great 


o 


62  The  Colorado  River 


descent  some  of  our  party  had  called  the  Sockdologer,  the 
heaviest  fall  on  the  river,  about  eighty  feet  in  a  third  of  a  mile. 
They  proceeded  all  along  in  much  the  same  careful  fashion  as 
\\e  had  done,  and  as  everyone  who  hopes  to  make  this  passage 
ali\e  must  proceed.  The  water  being  low,  they  were  able  to  let 
their  boats  by  line  over  the  upper  end  of  the  Sockdologer  with 
safety,  but,  in  attempting  to  continue,  the  Marie  was  caught 
by  a  cross-current  and  thrown  against  the  rocks,  turned  half 
over,  filled  with  water,  and  jammed  tightly  between  two  boul- 


r^. 


The  Great  Unconformity. 

Top  of  the  Granite,  Grand  Canyon. 
Photograph  by  T.  Mitchell  Prudden. 


ders  lying  just  beneath  the  surface.  In  winter,  the  air  in  the 
canyon  is  not  very  cold,  but  the  river  coming  so  swiftly  from 
the  far  north  is,  and  the  men  with  lines  about  their  waists  who 
tried  to  go  through  the  rushing  waist-deep  water  found  it 
icy.  Taking  turns,  they  succeeded  with  a  grappling-hook  in 
getting  out  the  cargo,  losing  only  two  sacks  of  provisions,  but 
though  they  laboured  till  dark  they  were  not  able  to  move  the 
boat.  Giving  her  up  for  lost,  they  tried  to  secure  a  night's 
rest  on  the  sharp  rocks.  Had  a  great  rise  in  the  river  occurred 
now  the  party  would  have  been  in  a  terrible  predicament,  but 
though  it  rose  a  few  days  later  it  spared  them  on  this  occasion. 


The  Marie  Smashed  363 

It  came  up  only  two  feet,  and  this  was  a  kindness,  for  it  lifted 
the  Marie  so  that  they  were  able  to  pull  her  out  of  the  vise. 
When  they  saw  her  condition,  however,  they  were  dismayed 
for  one  side  was  half  gone,  and  the  other  was  smashed  in. 
The  keel  remained  whole.  By  cutting  four  feet  out  of  the 
centre  and  drawing  the  ends  together,  five  days'  hard  work 
made  practically  another  boat.  They  were  then  able  to  pro- 
ceed, and,  going  past  Bright  Angel  Creek,  arrived  on  February 
6th  at  what  Stanton  describes  as  "the  most  powerful  and  un- 
manageable rapid  "  on  the  river.  This,  I  believe,  was  the  place 
where  we  were  capsized.  Thompson  at  that  time,  before  we 
ran  it,  declared  it  looked  to  him  like  the  worst  rapid  we  had 
encountered  but  at  the  stage  of  water  then  prevailing  we  could 
not  get  near  it.  Stanton  wisely  made  a  portage  of  the  sup- 
plies and  let  the  boats  down  by  lines.  His  boat,  the  Boujiie 
Jean,  played  all  sorts  of  pranks,  rushing  out  into  the  current, 
■ducking  and  diving  under  water,  and  finally  floating  down 
sideways.  Then  they  thought  they  would  try  what  Stanton 
calls  Powell's  plan  of  shooting  a  boat  through  and  catching  it 
below.  Such  a  harum-scarum  method  was  never  used  on  our 
expedition,  and  I  never  heard  Powell  suggest  that  it  was  on 
the  first.  Stanton  cites  as  authority  one  of  Powell's  state- 
ments in  the  Report.  At  any  rate  in  this  instance  it  was  as 
disastrous  as  might  have  been  expected.  The  poor  Marie  was 
again  the  sufferer,  and  came  out  below  "in  pieces  about  the 
size  of  toothpicks."  The  Lillie  was  then  carried  down  and 
reached  the  river  beyond  in  safety.  A  day  or  two  after  this 
McDonald  decided  to  leave  the  party,  and  started  up  a  little 
creek  coming  in  from  the  north,  to  climb  out  to  the  plateau, 
and  make  his  way  to  Kanab.  This  he  succeeded  in  doing  after 
several  days  of  hard  work  and  tramping  through  the  heavy 
snow  on  the  plateau.  The  other  ten  men  concluded  to  remain 
with  Stanton  and  they  all  went  on  in  the  two  boats.  Several 
days  later  they  passed  the  mouth  of  the  Kanab.  The  terrible 
First  Granite  Gorge  was  well  behind  them.  But  now  the  river 
began  to  rise.  Before  reaching  the  Kanab  it  rose  four  feet  and 
continued  to  rise  for  two  days  and  nights,  altogether  some 
ten  or  twelve  feet.     A  little  below  the  Kanab,  where  the  can- 


364  The  Colorado  River 

yon  is  very  narrow,  they  came  upon  a  peculiar  phenomenon. 
They  heard  a  loud  roar  and  saw  breakers  ahead.  Thinkin^^  it  a 
bad  rapid,  they  landed  immediately  on  some  rocks,  and,  going 
along  these  to  examine  the  place,  the  breakers  had  disappeared, 
but  as  they  stood  in  amazement  there  suddenly  arose  at  their 
feet  the  same  huge  waves,  twelve  or  fifteen  feet  high  and  one 
hundred  and  fifty  feet  long,  across  the  river,  "rolling  down- 
stream like  great  sea  waves,  and  breaking  in  white  foam  with 
a  terrible  noise."  These  waves,  as  was  later  ascertained,  were 
the  result  of  a  cloudburst  on  the  headwaters  of  the  Little 
Colorado,  and  indicate  what  might  be  expected  in  here  in  the 
event  of  a  combination  of  such  waves  with  the  highest  stage  of 
water.  The  next  day  they  were  diminished,  and  the  river  fell 
somewhat,  but  it  was  still  so  powerful  they  could  barely  con- 
trol the  boats  and  had  a  wild  and  tumultuous  ride,  sometimes 
being  almost  bodily  thrown  out  of  the  boats.  By  this  time 
their  rations  were  getting  low,  but  by  pushing  on  as  fast  as 
possible  they  reached  Diamond  Creek  on  March  ist,  where 
supplies  were  planned  to  meet  them.  Remaining  there  ten 
days  to  recuperate  they  went  on  with  only  eight  men,  three 
concluding  to  leave  at  this  place.  The  Second  Granite  Gorge 
begins  about  eighteen  miles  above  Diamond  Creek,  and  is 
about  thirty  miles  long.  It  is  much  like  the  First  Granite 
Gorge,  being  the  same  formation,  excepting  that  it  is  shorter 
and  that  the  declivity  of  the  river  is  not  so  great.  From  Dia- 
mond Creek  down  to  the  end  of  the  canyon  is  about  fifty  miles. 
It  is  a  bad  stretch,  and  contains  some  heavy  falls  which,  as  the 
river  was  still  somewhat  high,  w'ere  often  impossible  to  get 
around,  and  they  were  obliged  to  run  them.  The  stage 
of  water  in  both  these  Granite  Gorges  makes  a  great  dif- 
ference in  the  character  of  the  falls.  For  example,  in  the 
Second  Gorge,  wdien  Wheeler  made  his  precarious  journey 
in  1 87 1,  he  was  able,  coming  from  below,  to  surmount 
the  rapids  along  the  sides  with  two  of  his  boats,  because 
the  water  happened  to  be  at  a  stage  that  permitted  this, 
whereas  Stanton  found  it  impossible  to  pass  some  of  them 
without  running,  and  Powell  found  the  one  that  split  his  party 
the  same  way.     So  it  appears  that  one  day  finds  these  gorges 


H*:#'"'-*s^^^.; 


«.13 


Looking  up  the  Grand  Canyon,  at  the  Foot  of  Toroweap,  Uinkaret  Division. 

Depth  of  inner  gorge  about  3000  feet — width,  brink  to  brink,  about  3500  feet. 

Oil  sketch  by  F.  S.  Dellenbaugh 


365 


;66 


The  Colorado  River 


easier  or  harder  than  another;  but  at  their  easiest  they  are 
truly  fearful  places.  At  one  of  the  worst  falls  Stanton's  boat 
suddenly  crashed  upon  a  rock  that  projected  from  the  shore, 
and  there  she  hunt:,  all  the  men  bein^:^  thrown  forward.     The 


'd 


^S.* 


The  Grand  Canyon  —Lava  Falls. 

Just  below  the  Toroweap. 

Total  depth  of  canyon  about  4500  feet. 

Photograph  by  J.  K.  Hillers,  U.  S.  Colo.  Riv.  Exp. 

boat  filled  and  stuck  fast,  while  the  great  waves  rolled  over  her 
and  her  crew.  Stanton  tried  to  straighten  himself  up,  and  was 
taken  in  the  back  by  a  breaker  and  washed  out  of  the  craft 
altogether  into  a  whirlpool,  and  finally  shot  to  the  surface  fifty 


At  the  Sea 


367 


feet  farther  down.  He  had  on  his  cork  jacket  and  was  saved, 
though  he  was  ducked  again  and  carried  along  swiftly  by  the 
tremendous  current.  The  second  boat  had  better  luck  and 
came  through  in  time  to  pick  Stanton  up.  The  damaged  boat 
was  gotten  off  w^ith  a  hole  in  her  side  ten  by  eighteen  inches, 
which  was  closed  by  a  copper  patch  at  the  first  chance,  the  air 
chambers  having  kept  the  craft  afloat.  After  this  the  bad 
rapids  were  soon  ended, 
and  on  the  morning  of 
March  17th  (1890)  the 
party  emerged  into  an 
open  country  and  upon  a 
peaceful,  quiet  river.  Con- 
tinuing down  through 
Black  and  the  other  can- 
yons, and  through  the 
intervening  valleys,  they 
reached,  on  the  26th  of 
April,  the  salt  tide  where 
Alarcon,  three  and  a  half 
centuries  earlier,  had  first 
put  a  keel  upon  these 
turbulent  waters,  the  only 
party  thus  far  to  make  the 
entire  passage  from  the 
Junction  to  the  sea.  And 
as  yet  no  one  has  made 
the  complete  descent  from 
Green  River  Valley  to  the 
counter-current  of  the  Ti- 
dal Bore,  so  if  there  is  any  reader  who  desires  to  distinguish 
himself  here  is  a  feat   still  open  to  him. 

Stanton  deserves  much  praise  for  his  pluck  and  determina- 
tion and  good  judgment  in  carrying  this  railway  survey  to  a 
successful  issue,  especially  after  the  discouraging  disasters  of 
the  first  attempt.  He  holds  the  data  and  believes  the  project 
will  some  day  be  carried  out.  From  the  foregoing  pages  the 
reader  may  judge  the  probabilities  in  the  case. 


On  the  Bright  Angel  Trail. 
Photograph  by  T.  Mitchell  Prudden. 


o 


68  The   Colorado  River 


Since  the  Stanton  party  several  descents  successful  and 
unsuccessful  have  been  made.  The  first  was  the  "  Best  party," 
representing  the  Colorado  Grand  Canyon  Mining  and  Improve- 
ment Company,  with  eight  men  and  two  boats  similar  to  those 
used  by  Stanton.  The  expedition  left  Green  River,  Utah, 
July  lo,  1 891.  The  members  were  James  S.  Best,  Harry 
McDonald,  John  Hislop,  William  H.  Edwards,  Elmer  Kane, 
L.  H.  Jewell,  J.  H.  Jacobs,  A.  J.  Gregory,  and  J.  A. 
McCormick.  Four  of  these,  Hislop,  McDonald,  Kane,  and 
Edwards  had  been  with  Mr.  Stanton,  to  whom  I  am  indebted 
for  this  information.  The  men  had  cork  life-jackets.  In 
Cataract  Canyon  one  boat  was  wrecked  but  no  one  was  lost, 
and  they  made  their  way  to  Lee  Ferry  with  the  remaining  boat 
and  there  abandoned  the  expedition. 

In  1 891,  a  steam  launch,  the  Major  PozvcH,  thirty-five  feet 
long,  with  two  six-horsepower  engines  driving  twin  screws  was 
brought  out  in  the  summer  from  Chicago  by  way  of  the  Rio 
Grande  Western  Railway  to  the  crossing  of  Green  River,  and 
there  launched  in  September  of  that  year.  A  screw  was  soon 
broken,  and  the  attempt  to  go  down  the  river  abandoned.  In 
1892  another  effort  was  made,  but  this  also  was  given  up  after 
a  few  miles.  But  in  1893,  W.  H.  Edwards,  who  had  been  with 
the  Stanton  party,  together  with  L.  H.  Johnson  and  some 
others,  took  the  Major  Pozvcll  down  to  the  Junction  and  back, 
making  a  second  trip  in  April.  The  round  trip  took  fourteen 
days.  They  also  went  up  the  Grand  some  distance.  Entering 
the  jaws  of  Cataract  Canyon  they  went  to  the  head  of  the 
first  rapid.  On  trying  to  return  the  current  proved  almost  too 
much  for  the  power.  With  block  and  tackle  to  help  the  engines 
they  finally  got  above  the  swift  water,  and  had  no  further  serious 
trouble.  Mr.  Johnson  says  the  launch  came  near  being  wrecked. 
Several  other  steam  craft  were  later  put  on  the  river,  the  Undine 
being  the  most  pretentious  (see  cut,  page  390).  She  was  wrecked 
trying  to  run  up  a  rapid  on  Grand  River  above  Moab.  In  1894 
Lieut.  C.  L.  Potter  made  an  unsuccessful  attempt  to  go  from 
Diamond  Creek  to  the  mouth  of  the  Virgin. 

September  20th,  1895,  N.  Galloway  and  William  Richmond 
.started  from  Green  River,  Wyoming,  and  went  down  in  flat. 


The  End  369 

bottomed  boats  to  Lee  Ferry.  September,  1896,  they  started 
again  from  Henry's  Fork,  Wyoming,  and  went  to  the  Needles 
reaching  there  February  10,  1897.  Since  that  time  Galloway 
has  made  several  successful  descents.  In  August,  1896,  George 
F.  Flavell  and  a  companion  left  Green  River,  Wyoming,  and 
successfully  descended  to  Yuma  in  flat-bottomed  boats,  reaching 
there  December,  1896. 

In  1907,  three  miners,  Charles  Russell,  E.  R.  Monett,  and 
Albert  Loper,  with  three  steel  boats  each  sixteen  feet  long,  left 
Green  River,  Utah,  September  20th,  to  make  the  descent. 
Loper  and  one  damaged  boat  were  left  at  Hite  near  the  mouth 
of  Fremont  river,  while  Russell  and  Monett  proceeded.  In 
the  beginning  of  the  Grand  Canyon  they  lost  a  boat,  but  with 
the  remaining  one  after  various  disasters,  they  finally  made 
their  exit  from  the  Grand  Canyon,  January  31,  1908.  Their 
boats  of  steel  were  about  the  most  unsuitable  of  any  ever  put 
on  the  river.  They  carried  a  copy  of  this  volume  all  the  way 
through  and  found  it  of  value. 

A  view  of  the  Grand  Canyon  may  now  be  had  without  risk 
or  discomfort  of  any  kind,  as  the  Atchison,  Topeka,  and  Santa 
Fe  Railway  runs  trains  to  the  Bright  Angel  Hotel  at  the  very 
edge  of  the  gorge  at  one  of  the  grandest  portions,  opposite 
Bright  Angel  Creek.  There  are  several  trails  in  this  region 
leading  down  to  the  river  besides  the  one  from  the  hotel.  It 
is  always  a  hard  climb  for  those  unaccustomed  to  mountaineer- 
ing. From  the  north,  for  any  who  are  fond  of  camping,  an 
interesting  trip  may  be  made  from  Modena  on  the  Salt  Lake 
to  Los  Angeles  Railway  via  St.  George  to  the  Toroweap  and 
the  Kaibab  country,  though  this  is  a  matter  of  several  weeks, 
and  necessitates  an  outfit. 

The  Grand  Canyon  may  be  crossed  at  two  points.  Bright 
Angel  Trail  and  Bass's  Trail,  and  the  heights  of  the  north  rim 
gained  in  that  manner  though  it  is  not  an  easy  trip. 

In  a  general  way  we  have  now  traced  the  whole  history-  of 
the  discovery  and  exploration  of  this  wonderful  river,  which 
after  nearly  four  centuries  still  flings  defiance  at  the  puny 
efforts  of  man  to  cope  with  it,  while  its  furious  waters  dash  on 
through  the  long,   lonely  gorges,   as  untrammelled  to-day  as 


01 


The  Colorado  River 


they  were  in  the  forgotten  ages.  Those  who  approach  it  re- 
spectfully and  reverently  are  treated  not  unkindly,  but  woe 
and  disaster  await  all  others.  The  lesson  of  these  pages  is 
plain,  and  the  author  commends  it  to  all  who  hereafter  may 
be  inspired  to  add  their  story  to  this  Romance  of  the  Colorado 
River. 


Agreement  made  by  Major  Powell  with  men  of  his  first  expedition. 
From  a  copy  in  the  handwriting  of  one  of  the  party. 


(COPY) 

This  agreement  made  this  twenty-fifth  day  of  February,  eighteen-hundred-and-sixty- 
nine,  between  J.  W.  Powell,  party  of  the  first  part,  and  J.  C.  Sumner,  \V.  H.  Dunn, 
and  O.  G.  Howland,  party  of  the  second  part,  witnesseth,  that  the  said  party  of  the 
second  part  agree  to  do  the  following  work,  respectively,  for  the  party  of  the  first 
part,  namely:  J.  C.  Sumner  agrees  to  do  all  necessary  work  required  -with  the  sex- 
tant; W.  H.  Dunn  to  make  barometrical  observations  night  and  morning  of  each 
day,  when  required,  also  to  make  observations  when  needed  for  determining  altitude 
of  walls  of  the  Canon,  also  to  make  not  more  than  sixty-two  hourly  series  of  not  more 
than  eight  days  each,  he  to  have  the  aid  of  an  a-^sistant  for  the  last  two  mentioned 
classes  of  observations;  O.  G.  Howland  to  make  a  topographical  drawing  of  the 
course  of  the  rivers.  The  above  and  foregoing  work  to  be  performed  during  the  pro- 
posed exploration  of  the  Green  River,  from  Green  River  City,  Wyoming 'territory, 
to  the  Colorado  River,  and  of  the  Colorado  River  from  that  point  toCallville,  (blank 
space  left  here  evidently  for  the  insertion  of  the  name  of  the  territory  in  which  Call- 
ville  was  situated.     F.  S.  D.)  ;  the  party  of  the  second  part 

to  perform  the  foregoing  work  to  the  best  of  their  ability;  the  party  of  the  second 
part  also  agreeing  to  doa  fair  proportion  of  the  work  necessary  in  getting  supplies  and 
boats  safely  through  the  channels  of  the  aforementioned  rivers,  for  use  of  the  expedi- 
tion; and  also  agreeing  to  save  for  specimens  for  stufiing,  for  the  party  of  the  first 
part,  all  suitable  skins  of  animals  which  they  may  collect  while  engaged  in  the  above 
exploration  of  the  Green  and  Colorado  rivers,  J.  W.  Powell,  party  of  the  first  part, 
agreeing  to  allow  the  party  of  the  second  part  five  days  at  one  time  for  prospecting 
for  gold  and  silver,  if  not  too  often;  also  to  allow  thirty  days  to  the  party  of  the 
second  part  for  hunting  and  trapping  between  the  first  day  of  September  and  the 
first  day  of  December,  eighteen-hundred-and-sixty-nine,  and  sixty  days  between 
the  first  day  of  January  and  the  first  day  of  June,  eighteen-hundred-and-seventy; 
the  party  of  the  first  part  also  agreeing  to  pay  to  the  party  of  the  second  part,  respect- 
ively, twenty-five  dollars  each  per  month  for  the  time  employed  in  all  such  service, 
and  also  agreeing  to  pay  in  addition  the  annexed  prices  for  all  skins  procured  for 
him  by  the  party  of  the  second  part;  J.  W.  Powell,  the  party  of  the  first  part,  to 
furnish  boats,  supplies,  ammunition,  etc.,  sufficient  for  the  use  of  the  expedition. 
This  agreement  to  go  into  effect  the  first  day  of  June  eighteen-hundred-and-sixty- 
nine,  and  not  to  continue  over  one  year. 

Should  it  be  necessary  to  proceed  on  the  journey,  without  delay  on  account  of 
disaster  to  boats  or  loss  of  rations,  then  the  time  specified  for  hunting  may  not  be 
required  by  either  party,  nor  shall  it  be  deemed  a  failure  of  contract  to  furnish  sup- 
plies should  such  supplies  be  lost  in  transit. 


J.  C.  Sumner 
William  H.  Dunn 
O.  G.  Howland 


J.  W.  Powell 
In  Charge  of  Col.  River  Ex.  Ex. 


Deer  . 

Sheep      .  1.25 

Antelope  i.oo 

Elk     .     ,  2.00 

Wolf  (grey)  i.oo 

"      coyote   .50 

Fox  (cross)  1.50 

"     red  .  .75 

Mink.     .  1.50 


$1.25  each     Martin     .     $1.50  each     Weasel 


Otter  .  3.50 
"  Beaver  .  1.00 
"  Wildcat  .  .50 
"  Porcupine  .50 
"         Squirrel  .         .35 

Rabbit     .  .35 

"         Wood  chuck      .35 

"         Badger     .         .50 

and  all  other  skins  at 

371 


Bear  (grown  grizzly) 

cub       ...  I 

grown  cinnamon  5 

cub       ...  I 

grown  black  .  3 

cub       ...  I 


proportionate  rates. 


.35  each 

.00  " 

.00  " 

.00  " 

.00  " 

.00  " 

.00  " 


EPILOGUE 


MAJOR  POWELL  had  kindly  consented  to  write  an  in- 
troduction  to  this  volume  wherein  I  have  inadequately 
presented  scenes  from  the  great  world-drama  connected  with 
the  Colorado  River  of  the  West,  but  a  prolonged  illness  pre- 
vented his  doing  any  writing  whatever,  and  on  September  23, 
1902,  while,  indeed,  the  compositor  was  setting  the  last  type 
of  the  book,  a  funeral  knell  sounded  at  Haven,  Maine,  his 
summer  home,  and  the  most  conspicuous  figure  we  have  seen 
on  this  stage,  the  man  whose  name  is  as  inseparable  from  the 
marvellous  canyon-river  as  that  of  De  Soto  from  the  Missis- 
sippi, or  Hendrik  Hudson  from  the  placid  stream  which  took 
from  him  its  title,  started  on  that  final  journey  whence  there  is 
no  returning.  A  distinguished  cortege  bore  the  remains  across 
the  Potomac,  laying  them  in  a  soldier's  grave  in  the  National 
Cemetery  at  Arlington.  Thus  the  brave  sleeps  with  the  brave 
on  the  banks  of  the  river  of  roses,  a  stream  in  great  contrast  to 
that  other  river  far  in  the  West  where  only  might  be  found  a 
tomb  more  appropriate  within  sound  of  the  raging  waters  he 
so  valiantly  conquered. 

In  the  history  of  the  United  States  the  place  of  John  Wes- 
ley Powell  is  clear.'  A  great  explorer,  he  was  also  foremost 
among  men  of  science  and  probably  he  did  more  than  any 
other  single  individual  to  direct  Governmental  scientific  re- 
search along  proper  lines.  His  was  a  character  of  strength 
and  fortitude.  A  man  of  action,  his  fame  will  endure  as  much 
by  his  deeds  as  by  his  contributions  to  scientific  literature. 
Never  a  seeker  for  pecuniary  rewards  his  life  was  an  offering  to 

■  I  am  indebted  to  Major  Powell's  brother-in-law,  Prof.  A.  H.  Thompson,  for 
many  of  the  facts  herein  stated,  and  for  revision  of  dates  to  his  brother  Prof.  W. 
B.  Powell. 

372 


Epilogue  3  73 

science,  and  when  other  paths  more  remunerative  were  open  to 
him  he  turned  his  back  upon  them.  He  beHeved  in  sticking 
to  one's  vocation  and  thoroughly  disapproved  of  wandering  off 
in  pursuit  of  common  profit.  The  daring  feat  of  exploring  the 
canyons  of  the  Colorado  was  undertaken  for  no  spectacular 
effect  or  pecuniary  reward,  but  was  purely  a  scientific  venture 
in  perfect  accord  with  the  spirit  of  his  early  promise.  As  G. 
K.  Gilbert  remarks  in  a  recent  number  of  Science^  it  was  "of 
phenomenal  boldness  and  its  successful  accomplishment  a  dra- 
matic triumph.  It  produced  a  strong  impression  on  the  public 
mind  and  gave  Powell  a  national  reputation  which  was  after- 
wards of  great  service,  although  based  on  an  adventurous  epi- 
sode by  no  means  essential  to  his  career  as  an  investigator." 
The  qualities  which  enabled  him  so  splendidly  to  perform  his 
many  self-imposed  tasks  were  an  inheritance  from  his  parents, 
who  possessed  more  than  ordinary  intelligence.  Joseph 
Powell,  his  father,  had  a  strong  will,  deep  earnestness,  and 
indomitable  courage,  while  his  mother,  Mary  Dean,  with 
similar  traits  possessed  also  remarkable  tact  and  practicality. 
Both  were  English  born,  the  mother  well  educated,  and  were 
always  leaders  in  the  social  and  educational  life  of  every  com- 
munity where  they  dwelt.  Especially  were  they  prominent  in 
religious  circles,  the  father  being  a  licensed  exhorter  in  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  Both  were  intensely  American 
in  their  love  and  admiration  of  the  civil  institutions  of  the 
United  States  and  both  were  strenuously  opposed  to  slavery, 
which  was  flourishing  in  America  Avhen  they  arrived  in  1830. 
For  a  time  they  remained  in  New  York  City  and  then  removed 
to  the  village  of  Palmyra  whence  they  went  to  Mount  Morris, 
Livingston  County,  New  York,  where,  on  March  24,  1834,  the 
fourth  of  their  nine  children,  John  Wesley,  was  born.  Because 
of  the  slavery  question  Joseph  Powell  left  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church  on  the  organisation  of  the  Wesleyan  Metho- 
dist Church  and  became  a  regularly  ordained  preacher  in  the 
latter.  It  was  in  this  atmosphere  of  social,  educational,  politi- 
cal, and  religious  fervor  that  the  future  explorer  grew  up. 
When  he  was  four  or  five  years  old  the  family  moved  to  Jack- 

'  October  10,  1902. 


John  Wesley  Powell. 
1834-IQ02. 

Photograph  by  Bachrach  &  Brother,  Washington,  1901. 


374 


Ep 


iloeue  3  75 


'fe 


son,  Ohio,  and  then,  in  1846,  went  on  westward  to  South  Grove, 
Walworth  County,  Wisconsin,  where  a  farm  was  purchased. 
They  were  in  prosperous  circumstances,  and  the  boy  was 
active  in  the  management  of  affairs,  early  exhibiting  his  trait 
for  doing  things  well.  His  ploughing,  stack-building,  and 
business  ability  in  disposing  advantageously  of  the  farm  pro- 
ducts and  in  purchasing  supplies  at  the  lake  ports  received  the 
commendation  of  the  countryside. 

His  early  education  was  such  as  the  country  schools  pro- 
vided. He  later  studied  at  Janesville,  Wisconsin,  earning  his 
board  by  working  nights  and  mornings.  His  parents  ever 
held  before  him  the  importance  of  achieving  the  highest  edu- 
cation possible.  Thus  he  continually  turned  to  books,  and 
while  his  oxen  were  eating  or  resting,  he  was  absorbed  in  some 
illuminating  volume.  In  1851  his  family  removed  to  Bonus 
Prairie,  Boone  County,  Illinois,  where  a  larger  farm  had  been 
purchased.  About  1853  the  Wesleyan  College  was  established 
at  Wheaton,  Illinois,  and  the  family  removed  there  in  order  to 
take  advantage  of  the  opportunities  afforded.  The  father  be- 
came one  of  the  trustees  and  Powell  entered  the  preparatory 
classes.  With  intervals  of  teaching  and  business  pursuits,  he 
continued  here  till  1855,  when,  largely  through  the  influence 
of  the  late  Hon.  John  Davis,  of  Kansas,  he  entered  the  pre- 
paratory department  of  Illinois  College  at  Jacksonville,  Illinois. 
Thus  far  he  had  shown  no  special  apitude  for  the  natural 
sciences,  though  he  was  always  a  close  observer  of  natural 
phenomena.  His  ambition  at  this  period,  which  was  also  in 
accord  with  the  dearest  wishes  of  his  parents,  was  to  complete 
his  college  course  and  enter  the  ministry.  Illinois  College  not 
possessing  a  theological  atmosphere  after  a  year  spent  there  he 
departed,  and  in  1857  began  a  course  of  study  at  Oberlin  Col- 
lege, Ohio.  Among  his  studies  there  was  botany,  and  in  this 
class  Powell  at  last  discovered  himself  and  his  true  vocation — 
the  investigation  of  natural  science.  He  became  an  enthusi- 
astic botanist  and  searched  the  woods  and  swamps  around 
Oberlin  with  the  same  zeal  and  thoroughness  which  always 
characterised  his  work.  He  made  an  almost  complete  her- 
barium of  the  flora  of  the  county,  organising  the  class  into  a 


3  76  The  Colorado  River 

club  to  assist  in  its  collection.  In  the  summer  of  1858,  having 
returned  to  Wheaton,  Illinois,  where  the  family  had  settled  in 
1854,  he  joined  the  Illinois  State  Natural  History  Society,  then 
engaged  in  conducting  a  natural  history  survey  of  the  State 
through  the  voluntary  labour  of  its  members.  To  Powell  was 
assigned  the  department  of  conchology.  This  work  he  entered 
upon  with  his  usual  application  and  made  the  most  complete 
collection  of  the  mollusca  of  Illinois  ever  brought  together  by 
one  man.  Incidentally,  botany,  zoology,  and  mineralogy  re- 
ceived attention,  and  in  these  lines  he  secured  notable  collections. 
With  the  broad  mental  grasp  which  was  a  pronounced  trait,  he 
perceived  that  these  studies  were  but  parts  of  the  greater  science 
of  geology,  which  he  then  announced,  to  at  least  one  of  his  in- 
timate friends,  was  to  be  the  science  to  which  he  intended  to- 
devote  his  life.  The  next  year  was  given  to  study,  teaching, 
and  lecturing,  usually  on  some  topic  connected  with  geology. 

In  the  spring  of  i860,  on  a  lecturing  tour,  he  visited  some 
of  the  Southern  States,  and  while  there  closely  observed  the 
sentiment  of  the  people  on  the  subject  of  slavery,  with  the  re- 
sult that  he  expressed  the  conviction  that  nothing  short  of  war 
could  settle  the  matter.  In  the  summer  of  i860  he  became 
principal  of  the  public  schools  of  Hennepin,  Illinois.  These 
he  organised,  graded,  and  taught  with  a  vigour  which  was  char- 
acteristic, yet  never  forgetting  his  geological  investigations  in 
the  neighbouring  country,  where,  on  Saturdays  and  at  other 
times  when  the  schools  were  not  in  session,  he  made  botanical 
and  zoological  collections. 

Convinced  that  war  was  inevitable,  the  winter  of  1860-61 
found  him  studying  military  tactics  and  engineering.  When 
the  call  came  for  troops,  he  was  the  first  man  to  enroll,  and 
largely  through  his  efforts  Company  H  of  the  20th  Regiment, 
Illinois  Infantry,  was  raised  in  Putnam  County.  When  the 
regiment  was  organised  at  Joliet,  Illinois,  he  was  appointed 
sergeant-major,  and  in  this  capacity  went  to  the  front.  When 
the  force  was  sent  to  Cape  Girardeau,  Missouri,  his  prescience 
in  studying  military  engineering  made  him  invaluable.  He 
was  practically  given  charge  of  planning  and  laying  out  and 
constructing  the  fortifications  at  that  place,  a  work  he  executed 


Epilogue  377 

so  well  that  it  received  the  unqualified  commendation  of 
General  Fremont.  The  second  lieutenant  of  Company  H  re- 
signing, Powell  was  elected  to  fill  the  vacancy.  After  a  service 
of  a  few  weeks  with  his  company  he  was  put  in  charge  of  the 
fortifications  he  had  constructed,  being  retained  in  this  post 
after  the  departure  of  his  regiment.  In  the  early  winter  of 
1861-62  he  recruited  a  company  of  artillery,  largely  from  loyal 
Missourians.  This  company  was  mustered  into  service  as  Bat- 
tery F,  2d  Illinois  Artillery,  John  Wesley  Powell,  Captain. 
After  drilling  a  few  weeks  he  was  ordered  to  proceed  with  his 
battery  to  Pittsburg  Landing,  Tennessee,  where  he  arrived  the 
latter  part  of  March,  1862.  The  battery  took  part  in  the 
battle  of  Shiloh,  April  6th  of  that  year,  and  during  the  en- 
gagement, as  Powell  raised  his  arm,  a  signal  to  fire,  a  rifle 
ball  struck  his  hand  at  the  wrist  glancing  toward  the  elbow. 
The  necessary  surgery  was  done  so  hastily  that  later  a  second 
operation  was  imperative,  which  left  him  with  a  mere  stump 
below  the  elbow-joint.  Never  for  long  at  a  time  afterward  was 
he  free  from  pain  and  only  a  few  years  ago  a  third  operation 
was  performed  which  brought  relief. 

As  soon  as  the  original  wound  was  healed  he  went  back  to 
his  command,  assisting  as  Division  Chief  of  Artillery  in  the 
siege  of  Vicksburg.  After  the  fall  of  this  place  he  took  part 
in  the  Meridian  Raid.  Then  he  served  on  detached  operations 
at  Vicksburg,  Natchez,  and  New  Orleans  until  the  summer  of 
1864,  when  he  was  re-assigned  to  the  former  command  in  the 
Army  of  the  Tennessee.  In  all  the  operations  after  the  fall  of 
Atlanta  he  bore  an  active  part,  and  when  Sherman  commenced 
the  march  to  the  sea,  Powell  was  sent  back  to  General  Thomas 
at  Nashville,  in  command  of  twenty  batteries  of  artillery.  At 
the  battle  of  Nashville  he  served  on  the  staff  of  Thomas  and 
continued  with  this  command  till  mustered  out  in  the  early 
summer  of  1865.  As  a  soldier  his  career  was  marked  by  a 
thorough  study  and  mastery  not  only  of  the  details  of  military 
life,  but  of  military  science.  Especially  was  he  apt  in  utilising 
material  at  hand  to  accomplish  his  ends — a  trait  that  was  also 
prominent  in  his  civil  life.  Bridges  he  built  from  cotton-gin 
houses,  mantelets  for  his  guns  from  gunny  bags  and  old  rope, 


3  7^  The  Colorauo  River 

and  shields  for  his  sharpshooters  from  the  mould-boards  of  old 
ploughs  found  on  the  abandoned  plantations.  All  this  time 
wherever  possible  he  continued  his  studies  in  natural  science. 
He  made  a  collection  of  fossils  unearthed  in  the  trenches 
around  Vicksburg,  land  and  river  shells  from  the  Mississippi 
swamps,  and  a  large  collection  of  mosses  while  on  detached 
duty  in  Illinois.  He  also  familiarised  himself  with  the  geology 
of  regions  through  which  the  armies  passed  to  which  he  was 
attached.  Time  and  again  he  was  commended  for  his  services 
and  declined  promotion  to  higher  rank  in  other  arms  of  the 
service.  "He  loved  the  scarlet  facings  of  the  artillery,  and 
there  was  something  in  the  ranking  of  batteries  and  the  power 
of  cannon,"  writes  Thompson,  "that  was  akin  to  the  workings 
of  his  own  mind." 

In  1862  he  was  married  to  his  cousin,  Miss  Emma  Dean, 
of  Detroit,  who  still  lives  in  Washington  with  their  daughter, 
an  only  child.  Mrs.  Powell  was  often  his  companion  in  the 
army  and  early  Western  journeys.  Upon  the  return  of 
Powell  to  civil  life  in  1865  he  was  tendered  a  nomination 
to  a  lucrative  political  ofifice  in  Du  Page  County,  Illinois, 
and  at  the  same  time  he  was  offered  the  chair  of  geology  in 
the  Wesleyan  University,  a  struggling  Methodist  College  at 
Bloomington,  Illinois.  There  was  no  hesitation  on  his  part. 
He  declined  the  political  honour  and  its  emoluments  and  ac- 
cepted the  professorship,  which  he  retained  two  years.  At 
the  session  of  the  Illinois  Legislature  in  1867  a  bill  was  passed, 
largely  through  his  effort,  creating  a  professorship  of  geology 
and  natural  history  in  the  State  Normal  University  at  Normal, 
Illinois,  with  a  salary  of  fifteen  hundred  dollars  and  an  appro- 
priation of  one  thousand  dollars  annually  to  increase  the  geo- 
logical and  zoological  collections.  He  was  elected  to  this  chair 
and  at  about  the  same  time  was  also  chosen  curator  of  the 
Illinois  State  Natural  History  Society,  whose  collections  were 
domiciled  in  the  museum  of  the  Normal  University.  Attracted 
by  the  Far  West  as  a  field  for  profitable  scientific  research,  the 
summer  of  1867  found  him  using  his  salary  and  the  other  avail- 
able funds  to  defray  the  expense  of  an  expedition  to  the  then 
Territory  of  Colorado  for  the  purpose  of  securing  collections. 


Epilogue 


379 


He  organised  and  outfitted  at  Plattsmouth,  Nebraska.  All 
Jiis  assistants  were  volunteers  except  the  cook.  A.  H. 
Thompson,  afterwards  so  closely  associated  wdth  him  in  the 
•detailed  exploration  of  the  Colorado  and  in  subsequent  survey 
work,  was  the  entomologist  of  the  party.      They  crossed  the 


Green  River  from  the  U.  P.  Railway  to  White  River, 
showing  gorges  through  the  Uinta  Mountains. 

plains  with  mule  teams  to  Denver,  worked  along  the  east  slope 
of  the  Front  Range,  climbed  Pike's  Peak,  and  went  westerly 
as  far  as  South  Park,  Without  realising  it,  apparently,  Powell 
was  all  these  years  steadily  approaching  the  great  exploit  of 
his  life,  as  if  led  on  and  prepared  by  some  unseen  power. 
Now  the  project  of  exploring  the  mysterious  gorges  of  which 


380  The  Colorado  River 

he  heard  sucli  wonderful  tales  dawned  upon  him.  It  was  as 
near  an  inspiration  as  can  be  imajjined.  Henceforth  his  mind 
and  energy  were  directed  irresistibly  toward  the  accomplish- 
ment of  this  conception.  Again  in  1868  he  was  in  the  field 
with  the  same  financial  backing,  to  which  was  added  a  small 
allotment  from  the  Illinois  Industrial  University  at  Cham- 
paign, Illinois,  a  State  school.  All  but  Mrs.  Powell  and  his 
brother  Walter,  of  this  1868  party,  returned  East  on  the  ap- 
proach of  autumn,  while  with  these  and  several  trappers  and 
hunters,  among  whom  were  the  two  Rowlands,  William  Dunn, 
and  William  Rhodes  Hawkins,  afterwards  of  his  party  to  explore 
the  canyons,  he  crossed  the  range  to  White  River  and  wintered 
there  near  the  camp  of  Chief  Douglass  and  his  band  of  Utes. 
When  spring  came  in  1869  he  went  out  to  Granger,  on  the 
Union  Pacific  Railway,  and  there  disposed  of  his  mules  and 
outfit,  proceeding  immediately  to  Washington,  where  he  in- 
duced Congress  to  pass  a  joint  resolution  endorsed  by  General 
Grant  authorising  him  to  draw  rations  from  Western  army 
posts  for  a  party  of  twelve  men  while  engaged  in  making 
collections  for  public  institutions.  Never  was  assistance  better 
deserved.  Then  he  returned  to  Illinois  and  obtained  from  the 
trustees  of  the  Normal  University  permission  to  again  divert 
his  salary  and  the  other  funds  to  Western  work.  The  trustees 
of  the  Illinois  Industrial  University  allotted  him  five  hundred 
dollars,  and  the  Chicago  Academy  of  Sciences,  through  the 
influence  of  Dr.  Andrews,  the  curator,  also  contributed  two 
hundred  and  fifty  or  five  hundred  dollars.  In  addition  some 
personal  friends  contributed  small  sums. 

The  object  proposed  was  to  make  collections  in  natural 
history  to  be  shared  accordingly  with  the  contributing  institu- 
tions. While  these  collections  were  one  of  Powell's  objects, 
others  were  the  examination  of  the  geology,  and  particularly 
the  solution  of  the  greatest  remaining  geographical  problem  of 
the  United  States,  the  canyons  of  the  Green  and  Colorado 
rivers.  The  Green,  as  has  been  explained  in  preceding  pages, 
was  known  as  far  as  the  Uinta  Mountains,  and  here  and  there 
at  widely  separated  points  on  down  to  about  Gunnison  Valley. 
But  there  were  long  gaps,  and  below  Gunnison  Crossing  as  far 


Epilogue  3^1 

as  the  Grand  Wash  the  knowledge  of  the  canyons  as  already 
pointed  out  was  vague  in  the  extreme.  The  altitude  of  Green 
River  Station,  Wyoming,  was  known  to  be  about  six  thousand 
feet  above  sea  level,  and  that  of  the  mouth  of  the  Virgen  less 
than  one  thousand.  How  the  river  made  up  this  difference 
was  not  understood  and  this  problem  was  what  Powell  now 
confronted.  His  fortitude,  nerve,  courage,  and  war  experience 
served  him  well  in  this  endeavour  upon  which  he  started,  as 
previously  described,  in  the  spring  of  1869.  The  War  Depart- 
ment and  perhaps  the  Smithsonian  Institution,  furnished  some 
instruments.  This  expedition  met  with  so  many  disasters  that 
Powell  deemed  a  second  descent  in  the  interest  of  science 
desirable,  and  for  a  continuation  of  his  explorations.  Congress 
voted  in  1870  an  appropriation  of  ten  thousand  dollars.  This 
second  expedition  was  successful,  performing  its  work  in  the 
years  1871-72-73.  At  the  Session  of  1871-72  another  appro- 
priation was  made  by  Congress  for  proceeding  with  the  topo- 
graphical and  geological  survey  of  the  country  adjacent  to  the 
river.  These  appropriations  were  expended  under  the  super- 
vision of  the  Smithsonian  Institution  and  were  continued 
annually  for  work  under  the  titles.  Exploration  of  the  Colorado 
River  and  its  Tributaries,  and  Survey  of  the  Rocky  Mountain 
Region,  up  to  1879,  when  the  work  was  consolidated  largely 
through  Powell's  endeavour,  with  two  other  surveys,  Hayden's 
and  Wheeler's.  The  latter  thought  all  this  work  ought  to  be 
done  by  the  War  Department,  but  Powell  believed  other- 
wise and  his  view  prevailed.  Out  of  these  grew  by  the  con- 
solidation the  Geological  Survey,  of  which  Clarence  King  was 
made  director,  Powell,  because  of  the  earnest  efforts  he  had 
made  to  bring  about  the  consolidation,  refusing  to  allow  his 
name  to  be  presented.  The  new  Geological  Survey  was  under 
the  Interior  Department,  and  in  1881,  when  King  resigned  the 
directorship,  Powell  was  immediately  appointed  in  his  place. 
The  results  of  Powell's  original  field-work  were  topographic 
maps  of  a  large  part  of  Utah,  and  considerable  portions  of 
Wyoming,  Arizona,  and  Nevada,  constructed  under  the  direc- 
tion of  Powell's  colleague.  Prof.  A.  H.  Thompson.  There 
"were  also  many  volumes  of  reports  and  monographs,  among 


s82 


The  Colorado  River 


them  the  account  of  the  expedition  of  1869,  entitled,  TJic  Ex- 
ploration of  the  Colorado  River  of  the  West,  i86g  to  1872  ;  The 
Geology  of  the  Uinta  Mountains,  b)-  rowell ;  Lands  of  the  Arid 


The  Grand  Canyon. 

Boats  of  the  second  Powell  Expedition,  showing  armchair 

in  which  Powell  sat. 

Photograph  by  J.  K.  Hillers,  U.  S.  Colo.  River  Exp. 

Region,  by  Powell ;  Geology  of  the  High  Plateaus  of  Utah,  by 
C.  E.  Button,  of  the  Ordnance  Department,  U.  S.  A.  ;  Geology 
of  the  Henry  Aionntains,  by  G.  K.  Gilbert;  and  four  volumes 
of  Contributions  to  North  American  Ethnology,  one  of  which. 


Epilogue  383 

contained  Lewis  H.  Morgan's  famous  monograph  on  "Houses 
and  House  Life  of  the  American  Aborigines."  Early  in  his 
Western  work  PoweU  became  interested  in  the  native  tribes. 
In  the  winter  of  1868,  while  on  White  River,  he  studied  lan- 
guage, tribal  organisation,  customs,  and  mythology  of  the 
Utes  and  from  1870  to  1873  he  carried  on  studies  among  the 
Pai  Utes,  the  Moki,  etc.,  being  adopted  into  one  of  the  Moki 
clans.  On  his  journeys  during  these  periods  he  often  took 
with  him  several  of  the  natives  for  the  purpose  of  investigating 
their  myths  and  language.  Eventually  he  became  the  highest 
authority  on  the  Shoshonean  tribes.  In  1874  he  was  one  of 
the  commissioners  to  select  and  locate  the  Southern  Pai  Utes 
on  a  reservation  in  south-eastern  Nevada. 

North  American  archaeology  also  claimed  his  interest  and 
about  the  time  of  the  consolidation  of  the  Surveys  Powell  pro- 
posed the  establishment  of  a  Bureau  of  Ethnology  to  carry  on 
investigations  in  this  field  as  well  as  the  ethnologic.  This 
was  done  and  the  Bureau  was  attached  to  the  Smithsonian 
Institution  with  Powell  as  director,  an  office  that  he  held 
without  salary  till  his  resignation  as  head  of  the  Geological 
Survey  in  1894.  After  this  he  received  a  salary  as  chief  of 
the  Bureau  of  Ethnology  in  which  office  he  remained  till  his 
death.  The  widely  known  extensive  series  of  valuable  volumes 
published  by  the  Bureau,  constituting  a  mine  of  information, 
attest  the  efficacy  of  his  supervision.  He  contributed  much  to 
these  and  also  wrote  numerous  papers  on  anthropological 
subjects  and  made  many  addresses.  His  labours  as  a  pioneer  in 
and  organiser  of  the  science  of  ethnology  have  been  recognised 
by  learned  institutions  and  societies  throughout  the  world. 
The  results  of  his  direction  of  the  Geological  Survey  are  seen 
in  the  maps,  reports,  bulletins,  and  monographs,  constituting 
an  imperishable  monument  to  his  ability  as  an  organiser  and 
administrator. 

He  delivered  many  lectures  and  once,  when  he  appeared  on 
the  platform  at  the  University  of  Michigan,  an  incident  occurred 
which  illustrates  his  tact  and  his  faculty  for  seizing  means  at 
hand  to  accomplish  his  end.  At  this  time  it  was  the  habit  of 
the  students  at  public  lectures  to  guy  the  speaker,  even  Charles 


384  The  Colorado  River 

Sumner  having  been  a  victim.  Powell  had  been  warned  of 
this  practice.  As  he  advanced  in  evening  dress  a  voice  called 
out  "How  are  your  coat  tails?" — a  greeting  which  was  re- 
peated from  all  parts  of  the  house.  During  a  momentary  lull 
he  exclaimed  with  the  peculiar  squinting  of  the  eyes  and  the 
half-laugh  his  friends  so  well  remember:  "Your  greeting  re- 
minds me  of  Dave  Larkins's  reply  when  criticised  for  wear- 
ing a  wamus '  in  July.  Dave  said,  with  his  slow  drawl,  'If 
you  don't  like  my  wamus  I  can  take  it  off.'  "  The  suggestion 
took  with  the  students  and  when  the  laughter  had  ceased, 
cries  of  "You  '11  do — go  on,"  came  from  everywhere.  The 
incident  roused  Powell,  and  he  has  often  said  he  never  talked 
better  nor  had  a  more  attentive  audience.  He  was  rewarded 
with  enthusiastic  applause.  With  his  closing  sentence  he  said  : 
"I  have  given  you  the  finest  account  of  the  exploration  of  the 
Colorado  River  my  command  of  language  permits.  I  have 
been  as  dramatic  and  as  eloquent  as  I  thought  this  occasion 
demanded.  If  any  one  wishes  a  plain  statement  regarding  the 
exploration,  I  will  be  happy  to  give  it  to  him  at  my  hotel." 
There  was  a  hush  for  a  moment  as  the  students  grasped  the 
implication  and  cries  of  "Sold!"  burst  from  them.  A  large 
number  did  call  the  next  morning  to  discover  whether  he  had 
actually  stated  facts,  which  of  course  he  had. 

He  possessed  absolute  independence  of  thought  and 
never  accepted  what  was  told  him  unless  he  could  demon- 
strate its  accuracy.  Often  in  his  explorations  he  was  told 
he  could  not  travel  in  certain  places,  but  he  went  on  just 
the  same  to  find  out  for  himself.  He  had  a  rare  faculty 
of  inducing  enthusiasm  in  others,  and  by  reposing  complete 
confidence  in  the  individual,  impelled  him  to  do  his  very 
best.  Thus  he  became  the  mainspring  for  much  that  was 
never  credited  to  him,  and  which  was  really  his  in  the 
germ  or  original  idea.  Gilbert  truly  says,  "it  is  not  easy 
to  separate  the  product  of  his  personal  work  from  that  which 
he  accomplished  through  the  organisation  of  the  work  of 
others.  He  was  extremely  fertile  in  ideas,  so  fertile  that  it 
was  quite  impossible  that  he  should  personally  develop  them 

*  A  wamus  in  old  times  was  a  very  heavy  woollen  garment. 


Epilogue 


385 


all,  and  realising  this,  he  gave  freely  to  his  collaborators.  The 
work  which  he  inspired  and  to  which  he  contributed  the  most 
important  creative  elements,  I  believe  to  be  at  least  as  im- 
portant as  that  for  which  his  name  stands  directly  responsible. ' '  ' 


The  "Major  Powell." 

The   first   power-boat   on    Green    River.       Steam.       Drew    28   inches. 

Launched,   1S91. 

Photograph  by  Lute  H.  Johnson. 

•    In  the  field  of  geology  he  was  particularly  facile  in  the  in- 
vention of  apt  descriptive  terms,  and  indeed  he  was  never  at  a 
loss  for  words  to  express  new  meanings,  coining  them  readily 
'  Scid/u-f,  Oct.  10,  1902. 


386  The  Colorado   River 

where  none  had  existed  that  were  appropriate.  Some  of  his 
ideas  have  been  developed  by  younger  men,  till  they  have  be- 
come distinct  divisions  of  the  larger  science  to  which  they  be- 
long. His  greatest  work  in  the  Geological  Survey,  that  which 
was  more  the  result  of  his  personal  effort,  may  be  summed  up 
under  three  heads  :  First,  the  development  of  a  plan  for  mak- 
ing a  complete  topographic  map  of  the  United  States;  second, 
the  organisation  of  a  Bureau  for  the  collection  of  facts  and 
figures  relating  to  the  mineral  resources  of  the  country ;  and 
third,  his  labours  to  preserve  for  the  people  the  waters  and  ir- 
rigable lands  of  the  Arid  Region,  It  is  hard  to  say  which  of 
these  is  greater  or  which  was  nearer  his  heart.  Together  they 
constitute  a  far-reaching  influence  in  the  development  of  the 
country  such  as  no  one  man  heretofore  has  contributed.  His 
studies  and  recommendations  with  regard  to  the  arid  lands  of 
the  West  are  of  the  greatest  importance  to  that  district  and 
to  the  country  at  large  and  the  nearer  they  can  be  carried  out 
the  better  will  it  be  for  posterity.  He  perceived  at  once  that 
the  reservation  of  sites  for  storage  reservoirs  was  of  the  first 
importance  and  this  was  one  of  the  earliest  steps  he  endeav- 
oured to  bring  about. 

Of  late  years  when  he  might  hav^e  relaxed  his  labours,  he 
turned  his  attention  to  the  field  of  psychology  and  phil. 
osophy,  working  till  his  malady,  sclerosis  of  the  arteries, 
produced  his  last  illness.  The  result  was  two  treatises  in  this 
line,  Trntli  and  Error,  published  in  1899,  and  "treating  of 
matter,  motion,  and  consciousness  as  related  to  the  external 
universe  or  the  field  of  fact,"  as  Gilbert  describes  it,  and 
Good  and  Evil,  running  as  a  series  of  essays  in  the  Ameri- 
can Anthropologist,  treating  of  the  same  factors  as  related 
to  humanity  or  to  welfare.  A  third  volume  w^as  planned  to 
deal  with  the  emotions,  and  he  had  also  w'oven  these  ideas  into 
a  series  of  poems,  of  which  only  one  has  been  published.  Few 
understand  these  later  products  of  Powell.  Many  condemn 
them ;  but  Gilbert  expresses  his  usual  clear,  unbiassed  view  of 
things  and  says  (and  I  can  do  no  better  than  to  quote  him,  a 
man  of  remarkably  direct  thought,  and  for  many  years  very 
close  to  Powell):  "His  philosophic  writings  belong  to  a  field 


Epilogue  387 

in  which  thought  has  ever  found  language  inadequate,  and  are 
for  the  present,  so  far  as  may  be  judged  from  the  reviews  of 
TriitJi  and  Error,  largely  misunderstood.  Admitting  myself 
to  be  of  those  who  fail  to  understand  much  of  his  philosophy, 
I  do  not  therefore  condemn  it  as  worthless,  for  in  other  fields 
of  his  thought  events  have  proved  that  he  was  not  visionary, 
but  merely  in  advance  of  his  time." 

One  inexplicable  action  in  his  career,  to  my  mind,  was  his 
complete  ignoring  in  his  report  of  the  men  and  their  work, 
of  his  second  river  expedition,  particularly  of  his  colleague, 
Prof.  Thompson,  whose  skill  and  energy  were  so  largely  re- 
sponsible for  the  scientific  and  practical  success  of  the  second 
expedition.  The  report  embodied  all  the  results  achieved  by 
this  expedition  and  gave  no  credit  to  the  men  who  with  un- 
flagging zeal,  under  stress  and  difficulties  innumerable  accu- 
mulated the  data.  This  has  ever  appeared  to  me  unjust,  but 
his  reasons  for  it  were  doubtless  satisfactory  to  himself.  The 
second  expedition  is  put  on  record,  for  the  first  time  in  this 
volume,  except  for  a  lecture  of  mine  printed  some  years  ago  in 
the  Bulletin  of  the  American  Geographical  Society. 

The  life  of  Powell  is  an  example  of  the  triumph  of  intelli- 
gent, persistent  endeavour.  Long  ago  he  had  formulated 
many  of  his  plans  and  as  far  back  as  1877,  and  even  1871,  as 
I  understood  them,  he  carried  them  out  with  remarkable  pre- 
cision. Before  the  authorisation  of  the  Bureau  of  Ethnology, 
its  scope  was  developed  in  his  mind  and  he  saw  completed  the 
many  volumes  which  have  since  been  published.  His  power 
to  observe  the  field  ahead,  standing  on  the  imperfections  of 
the  present,  was  extraordinary.  As  a  soldier  he  was  a  patriot, 
as  an  explorer  he  was  a  hero.  As  a  far-seeing  scientific  man,  as 
an  organiser  of  government  scientific  work,  as  a  loving  friend, 
and  a  delightful  comrade  whether  by  the  camp-fire  or  in  the 
study,  and  as  a  true  sympathiser  with  the  aspirations  and  am- 
bitions of  subordinates  or  equals,  there  has  seldom  been  his 
superior. 


APPENDIX 


The  Canyons,  Valleys,  and  Mouths  of  Principal  Tributaries  of  the 
Colorado,  in  their  order,  from  source  to  gulf,  together  with  lengths  and  great- 
est depths  of  canyons,  descent  in  feet,  and  altitudes  above  sea. 

The  altitudes  from  the  Gulf  to  the  Junction  have  been  adjusted  to  spirit- 
levelling  from  the  A.  &  P.  Railway  to  Stone's  Ferry,  above  the  mouth  of  the 
Virgen. 


ALTITUDE         NAMES   OF     CANYONS,    VALLEYS,    AND 
AT  HEAD       CHIEF   TRIBUTARIES   OF   THE    COLORADO 

ALTITUDE 
AT  FOOT 

DESCENT 
IN  FEET 

GREATEST 
LENGTH 

IJEPTH  OF 
IN  MILES 

1     CANYON 

13.790 
10,160 

Fremont  Peak,  Wind  River  Mts. 

3,630 

3,260 

660 

165 

6,  goo 
6,240 
f',075 

Mew  Fork,  mouth  (East) 

Big  Sandy,  mouth  (East) 

Union  Pacific  R'y  Crossing.  . .  "] 
Bitter  Creek,  mouth  (East).  ...  1 
Black's  Fork,  mouth  (West) .  .  .  ( 
ffi'iiry's  Fork,  mouth  (West). . 

62 

5,940 
5.813 
5.S13 

262 

FL.VMING  GORGE )    

■■■gi" 

1,300 
1,600 
1,200 

HORSESHOE  CANYO?."....  - 
KINGFISHER  CANYON...  ) 
Kin<Tfisher  Park 

RED  CANYON 

5,375 

433 


25I 

2,500 

Red  Canyon  Park 

5.375 

Brown's  Park 

35i 

SWALLOW  CANYON 

Vermilion  Creek,  mouth  (East).  . 

5,375 
5,375 
5,100 
5,100 
5,100 
4,940 
4,940 

Gate  of  Lodore 

CANYON  OF  LODORE 

5,100 

275 

20f 

2,700 

Echo  Park   

I 

I4i 
9 

8 

S7f 

WHIRLPOOL  CANYON 

Island  Park 

4.940 

160 

2,400 

SPLIT-MOUNTAIN  CANYON 
Wonsits  Valley 

2,700 

Ashley  Fork,  mouth  (West) 

4,625 

Uinta  River,  mouth  (West) 

White  River  (East) 

315 

CANYON  OF  DESOLATION. 

97 
36 
27i 

2,700 
2,000 

GRAY  CANYON 

4,075 

550 

4,075 

Gunnison  \'alle)',  at  Crossing... 

San  Rafael,  mouth  (West) 

LABYRINTH  CANYON. 

t2\ 

1.300 

388 


Appendix 


389 


ALTITUDE 
AT  HEAD 

NAMES    OK    CANYONS,    VALLEYS,    AND 
CHIEF   TRIBUTARIES    OF   THE    COLORADO 

ALTITUDE 
AT  FOOT 

DESCENT 
IN    FEET 

LENGTH 
IN  MILES 

GREATEST 
DEPTH  OF 
CANYON 

Bonito  Bend 

3,860 

STILLWATER  CANYON..,. 
Grand  River  (East) 

3,860 

215 

42f 

1,300 

3,S6o 

CATARACT  CANYON 

41 

2,700 

Millecrag  Bend 

NARROW  CANYON 

3,430 

430 

9\ 

1,300 

3.430 

Fremont  River,  mouth  (West). . . 

Dandy  Crossing 

3.430 

3,300 

GLEN  CANYON 

3.170 

260 

149 

Escalante  River,  mouth  (West) . . 

3,280 

San  yuan  River,  mouth  (East). . 

3,220 

Crossing  of  the  Fathers 

3,170 

Paria  River,  mouth  (West) 

3,170 

Lee's  Ferry 

3.170 

2,6go 

MARBLE  CANYON 

2,690 

480 

65I 

3.500 

Little  Colorado  Rizer,  mouth  (E.) 
GRAND  CANYON 

840 

1,850 

2I7i 

Bright  Angel  Creek,  mouth  (West) 
Tapeets  Creek,  mouth  (West) .... 

1,800 

Kanab  Canyon,  mouth  (West).  .  . 

Havasupai  Creek,  mouth  (East).. 

1,300 

Diamond  Creek,  mouth  (East).  .  . 

Grand  Wash,  mouth  (West)  .... 

ICEBERG  CANYON 

VIRGIN  CANYON 

700 

Virgen  River,  mouth  (West). . . . 

140 

BOWLDER  CANYON 

20 

25 

2 

2  000 

BLACK  CANYON. 

1,700 

PAINTED  CANYON 

Cottonwood  Valley 

PYRAMID  CANYON 

6 

30 

8 

12 
6 

250 

Mohave  Valley 

MOHAVE  CANYON 

Chemehuevis  Valley 

MONUMENT  CANYON 

375 

Bill  IVilliams  Fork,  mouth  (East) 
Great  Colorado  Valley 

325 

107 

10 

2 

CANEBRAKE  CANYON 

Purple  Hill  Pass 

Explorer  Pass 

120 

Gila  River,  mouth  (East) 

255 

1 

6 

PUERTO  DE  LA  PURISIMA. 

50 

0 

Gulf  of  California 

120 

The  longest  stretch  of  unbroken  canyon  walls  is  the  Marble  and  Grand,  283 
miles,  with  a  total  river  fall  of  2330  feet. 

The  entire  length  of  the  river,  counting  the  Green  as  the  Upper  Colorado,  is 
about  2000  miles.  The  area  drained  is  some  300  to  500  miles  wide  by  800  miles 
long,  and  contains  approximately  about  300,000  square  miles.  To  the  Gulf  from 
the  Grand  Wash  is  in  the  neighbourhood  of  600  miles  ;  from  Lee's  Ferry,  900  ; 
from  the  mouth  of  Grand  River,  about  rioo. 


390 


Appendix 


In  the  Marble  and  Grand  Canyons  the  fall  is  as  follows.'     The  vertical  dotted 
lines  of  diagram  on  page  57  give  these  divisions,  beginning  at  the  left  with  2. 


SUB-DIVISIONS    OF    THE    GRAND    CANYON 


1 .  Marble   Canyon 

2.  Little  Colorado  to  the  Granite 

3.  Granite   Falls 

4.  To  rowell's  Plateau  in  the  Granite 

5.  Around  western  base  of  Powell's  Plateau 

6.  Head  of  Kanab  Division 

7.  Main  Kanab  and   Uinkaret  Division .    .. 

8.  Shewits  Division  to  Granite 

9.  Granite  to  Diamond  Creek 

30.   Granite  below  Diamond  Creek 

11.  Granite  below  Diamond  Creek 

12.  Shewits  Granite  to  End  of  Canyon 

From  Little  Colorado  to  Kaibab  Division. .  . 

Kaibab  Division 

Kanab  Division 

Uinkaret  Division 

Shewits  Division 


DISTANCE 

FALL 

FALL  IN 

IN 

IN 

FEET 

MILES 

FEET 

PER  MILE 

65.2 

510 

7.82 

18.2 

IIO 

6.04 

10 

210 

21. 

26.4 

320 

12.13 

10.8 

100 

9.26 

4.8 

50 

10.42 

65.2 

310 

4-75 

12 

70 

5.83 

18 

210 

11.66 

7.2 

25 

3.47 

10.8 

100 

9.26 

35 

175 

5. 

9.6 

60 

6.25 

58 

700 

12.07 

47.6 

240 

5.01 

19.2 

100 

5-21 

84 

540 

6.43 

;  Twsr 


Consecutively  arranged  profiles  of  the  greatest  declivities  on  the  Colorado  and  Green. 

Same  scales  as  diagram  p.  57 

The  exact  number  of  rapids  cannot  be  given,  as  in  some  portions  of  Lodore, 
Cataract,  Marble,  and  the  Grand  Canyon  it  is  difficult  to  divide  the  almost  con- 
tinuous fall  into  parts.  The  number  also  varies  with  the  stage  of  water,  a  high 
stage  covering  up  some  of  the  smaller  rapids.  I  count  62  rapids  in  Cataract  Can- 
yon, but  Stanton  makes  it  75.  The  discrepancy  arises  in  the  way  of  dividing 
some  of  the  descent  in  the  worst  portions.  Lodore  for  a  large  part  of  its  length  is 
so  nearly  one  continuous  rapid  that  it  is  difficult  to  count  the  special  drops.  In 
.Marlde  Canyon  I  counted  63,  and  in  the  distance  from  the  Litlle  Colorado  to  the 


-After  Dutton,    Ti-rtiary  History,  p.  240. 


Appendix  391 


mouth  of  the  Kanab,  131.  We  counted  about  600  from  Green  River  Valley  to 
the  Kanab  Canyon,  and  Stanton's  party  counted  520  large  rapids  from  Fremont 
River  to  the  Grand  Wash,  or  about  600  from  the  Junction.  From  Green  River 
Valley  to  the  foot  of  Black  Canyon  something  over  1000  would  be  a  near  estimate 
of  the  total  number  of  rapids.      The  velocity  is  always  tremendous. 

The  width  of  the  river  varies  according  to  the  locality.  Green  River  is  from 
250  to  400  feet  in  the  canyons,  and  800  to  1000  in  the  valleys.  The  Colorado  is 
from  75  to  400  or  500  in  the  canyons  and  from  1200  to  1500  in  the  valleys.  In 
the  Granite  Gorges  there  are  points  where  the  distance  between  the  buttresses  at 
the  water  is  no  more  than  50  feet.  In  Marble  Canyon  there  are  a  dozen  places 
where  the  width  is  not  over  60  to  75  feet.  The  depth  varies  from  several  feet 
to  an  unknown  quantity  in  the  narrow  parts.  There  is  also  a  variation  of  depth 
with  the  year  and  the  season.  Years  when  the  high  mountains  receive  an  abnor- 
mal snow-fall  the  river  rises  to  abnormal  heights  and  at  such  times  the  depth  of 
water  in  the  Grand  Canyon  is  enormous  and  the  velocity  appalling.  The 
current  varies  from  three  miles  per  hour  to  twenty  or  more. 

Our  method  of  navigating  was  to  go  with  caution.  A  landing  was  made  al)Ove 
every  rapid  where  possible,  and  the  rapid  inspected.  Sticks  were  thrown  in  when 
practicable  and  watched  to  tind  the  set  of  the  main  current  which  was  the  one  we 
tried  to  follow.  If  it  dashed  against  a  cliff,  our  plans  were  laid  accordingly.  We 
went  into  a  rapid  with  as  little  headway  as  possible,  and  often  executed  "back- 
water "  to  retard  the  boat.  The  steering  oar  was  used  to  throw  the  boat  one  way 
or  another  in  rapids,  but  it  was  mainly  on  the  side  oars  that  we  relied  for  steering. 
In  our  boat  Powell  looked  ahead,  and  gave  orders  "left"  or  "right,"  referring 
not  to  the  direction  in  which  he  wished  to  go  but  to  the  oar  which  we  were  to  pull 
with  reference  to  our  left  or  right  not  his.  "Steady  "  meant  to  let  the  boat  take 
her  course. 

N.  Galloway,  who  has  since  made  several  descents,  goes  through  rapids  stern 
foremost.     He  can  thus  see  how  to  guide  with  the  oars. 


The   Steamer  "Undine." 

Wrecked  while  trying  to  ascend  a  rapid  on  Grand  River  above  Moab. 

Photograph  by  R.  G.  Leonard. 


INDEX 


Abiquiu,  98 

Adams  River,  I20 

Agriculture  on  the  Colorado,  66 

Aguaiauall,  11 

Ak,  seed  eaten  by  Pai  Utes,  71 

Alarfon,  Hernando  de,  11;  discovery 
of  Colorado,  14;  effort  to  go  to  Ci- 
bola, 23;   farthest    point,  25,  164 

Alta,  California,  gS 

Altitudes,  appendix 

Alvar  Nunez  Cabeza  de  Vaca,  7 

Ambush  Water-pocket,  230 

Amerind,  4 

Annual  rise  of  Colorado,  54 

Anza,  Captain,  SS 

Apaches,  22,  68,  82 

Appropriations  by  Congress,  380 

Aquarius  Plateau,  52,  312 

Arapahos,  68 

Area  of  Colorado  River  Basin,  68 

Arellano,  Don  Tristan  de,  28 

Arizona  City,  170 

Ashley  Falls,  249 

Ashley,  General,  108,  200;  descent  of 
Green  River,  108;  name  in  Red  Can- 
yon, 112,  195,  250 

Asquit,  Captain,  296 

Assumpcion,  Juan  de  la,  8 

Atchison,  Topeka,  and  Santa  Fe  Rail- 
way, 368 

Atlantic  and  Pacific  Railway,  343 

Aubrey  Cliffs,  90 

Awatuwi,  94 


B 


Bac,  San  Xavier  del,  87 

Backward  drainage,  49 

Bagley,  boatbuilder,  236 

Baker,  White's  companion,  175,  201 

Balance  of  precipitation,  46 


Bandelier,  A.  F.,  7 

Barraneche,  Padre,  104 

Barrel  cactus,  71 

Bartlett,  John  R.,  148 

Base  line  measured,  306 

Beale,  E.  F..  152 

Beaman,  E.  O.,  240,  243 

Bear  River,  202 

Beaver,  74,  107,  266 

Beaver  Dam  Mountains,  53 

Beaver  packs,  107 

Beckwourth,  James  P.,  108 

Beehive  Point,  248 

Beginning  of  the  canyons,  65 

Bell,  William  A.,   175 

Benavides,  94 

Berry  Spring,  309 

Bicuner  mission,  104 

Big  Canyon,  167,  169,  i8g 

Bill  Williams  Fork,  78,  116,  165 

Bishop,  F.  M.,  240 

Bison,  23,  74;  trails,  108 

Bitter-root  River,  67 

Black  Canyon,    27,  154,  174;  derivation 

of  name,  167 
Black's  Fork,  139,  244 
Boats,  Brown's  expedition,  347;  Powell, 

first    expedition,    T90;    second,     235; 

Stanton's,   357;  Wheeler's,   296;  best 

model,     236 ;     Brown's    crews,    349 ; 

Powell's,    191,   239  ;   Stanton's,   359  ;. 

Wheeler's,     296,     303 
Boils,  337.  339 
Bonito  Bend,  276 
Bonnemort,  290 
Bonneville,  66,  128 
Book  Plateau,  100 
Boulder  Canyon,  297 
Boulders  rolling,  279 
Bradley,  G.  Y.,  191;  overboard,  207 
Bridger,  Fort,  139  ;  James,  139,  10& 
Brigham  Young  to  Salt  Lake,  139 
Bright  Angel  Creek,  222,  334,  363 


393 


394 


Index 


Eright  Angel  Hotel,  36S 

Brown  expedition,  34.7  ;  personnel,  349  ; 

warned,  348 
Brown,  Frank  M.,  345  ;  death  of,  355 
Brown's  Hole,  63,  108,  112,  135,  196 
Brown's  I'ark,  63,  196 
Brown's  party  for  Grand  Canyon  trip, 

354  :  break  up  of,  357 
Brown's  provision  raft  lost,  350 
Briija,  the,  Hardy's  vessel,  iiS 
Buckskin  Mountain,  304,  305 
Buena  Esperanza,  Rio  Grande  de,  78 
Buena  Guia,  Rio,  25 
Buffalo,     number    killed,     137  ;     range 

west,  137 
Bureau  of  Ethnology,  3S2 
Butte  of  the  Cross,  276 


C 


Cactus,  69 
Cajon,  82 

Calhoun,  Camp,  140 
Callville,  174 
Camp  Calhoun,  140 
Camp  Independence,  140 
Camp  Mohave,  170  ;  PovveU's  men  con- 
tinue to,  232 
Canebrake  Canyon,  164 
Canonita  cached,  2S7 
Canyon  names  applied  by  Powell,  60 
Canyon     of      Desolation,     205,     266  ; 

length  of,  60 
Canyon  of  the  Little  Colorado,  58 
Canyon  of  Lodore,  59,  62,  196 
Canyons,  filling  up,   49  ;    how  formed, 

42  ;  length  of,  54,  appendix  ;   list  of, 

appendix  ;  not  dark,  40 
Canyon  walls,  40 
Capsizes,  48,  221,  224,  350,  336 
Captain  Palma,  103 
Cardenas,    Don   Lopez  de,   28,  90,  93  ; 

at  the  Grand  Canyon,  32,  34,  35  ;  at 

Tusayan,  32 
Carroll,  engineer  of  the  Explorer,  167 
Carson,  Kit,  127 
Casa  Grande,  82,  87 
Casas  Grandes,  82 
Castaneda,  35 
Castilleia,  Gaspar  de,  17 
Cataract  Canyon,    179,   213,   27S,   350; 

driftwood,  284;    inscription  in,  353; 

length  of,  60  ;  walls,   2S3  ;  width  of 

river    in,    284 
Cataract  Creek,  90 
Catastrophe  Rapid,  228 
Cathedral  Butte,  272 
Cedar  Valley,  loi 
Chama  River,  gS 


Chapel  of  our  Lady  de  la  Buena  Guia,  25 

Chicago  Academy  of  Sciences,  379 

Chichilticalii,  28 

Chief  Douglas,  379 

Chittenden,  12S  ;  memoir,  vi. 

Chocolate  Range,  27,  31,  164 

Cibola,  22,  23 

Cisneros,  Juan  Pedro,  98 

Clarkson,  Mormon  town,  311 

Cliff  of  the  Harp,  255 

Cliffs,  recession  of,  41 

Climate  of  Basin  of  the  Colorado,  54 

Clistoyucca  arborescens,  69 

Coamas  tribe,  25 

Coco-maricopa  tribe,  114 

Coconino  forest,  35 

Coconino  tribe,  93 

Cocopa  tribe,  68,  124,  143 

Colorado  City,  170 

Colorado  plateau,  54,  56,  169 

Colorado  River  of  the  West,  4  ;  deri- 
vation of  name,  68,  322  ;  jirofile  of, 
through  Grand  Canyon,   57 

Colorado,  steamer,  151 

Consag,  Fernando,  86 

Consolidation  of  surveys,  380 

Continental  Divide,  53 

Corazones,  28 

Coronado,  10,  li  ;  army,  28  ;  arrival  at 
Cibola,  19  ;  return  of,  35  ;  route,  34 

Cortes,  7-9 

Cosninos,  Rio  de  los,  95 

Costume  of  natives  on  Lower  Colo- 
rado, 19 

Coues,  Elliott,  54,  76 

Coutts,  Lieut.  C.  J.,  140 

Coyote,  72 

Crescent  Creek,  Stanton's  point  of  de- 
parture, 359 

Crosby,  230 

Crosses  distributed  by  Alar9on,  19 

Crossing  of  the  Fathers,  102,  216,  289 

Crow  tribe,  67 

Cruzados  tribe,  78 

Cumana  tribe,  24 


D 


Dandy  Crossing,  352,  353 

Davis,  Hon.  John,  374 

Dean,  Mary,  372 

Death  of  the  Howlands  and  Dunn,  230 

Declivity,  diagram  of,  57,  appendix 

Declivity  in  First  Granite  Gorge,  361, 

appendix 
Declivity  in  Lodore,  59 
Dellenbaugh,  F.  S.,  240 
Dellenbaugh  Mount,  310 


Index 


395 


Da  Motte,  Professor,  318  ;  Park,  how 
named,  319 

Denver,  Colorado  Canyon,  and  Pacific 
Railway,  345 

Denver  and  Rio  Grande  Western  Rail- 
way, 60 

Departure  of  the  Rowlands  and  Dunn, 
226 

Depth  of  water,  appendix 

Derby,  Lieutenant,  142  ;    survey,  142 

Desolation  Canyon,  205,  266  ;  depth  of, 
60 

Destruction  of  Craig  gang,  140 

Diamond  Butte,  310 

Diamond  Creek,  name  of,  not  connec- 
ted with  diamond  swindle,  90  ;  alti- 
tude at  mouth,  59 

Diaz,  Melchior,  25,  28,  162  ;  to  Colo- 
rado River,  29  ;  death  of,  32 

Diaz,  Padre,  104 

Dirty  Devil  River,  215,  310-312 

Disaster  Falls,  202,  254  ;  wreckage  at, 
112 

Distribution  of  tribes,  68 

Diversion  of  river,  66 

Divisions  of  Basin  of  the  Colorado,  54 

Doctor  Craig,  140 

Dodds,  Captain,  290 

Dolores,  mission  of,  82  ;  River,  100 

Dominguez,  Padre,  98 

Dominico  del  Castello,  14 

Dorantes,  7 

Douglas  &  Co.,  boatbuilders,  357 

Driftwood  in  Cataract  Canyon,  284 

Dunn,  Wm.  H.,  191,  226,  379;  death 
of,  230 

Dutton,  Captain,  42 


East  Mesa,  94 

Echo  Cliffs,  317 

Echo  Park,  61,  203,  256 

Echo  Peaks,  how  named,  293 

Echo  Rock,  259 

Edwards,  W.  H.,  36S 

Effect  of  more  rain,  46 

Eisarc,  Padre,  90 

El  Vado  de  los  Padres,  102 

Emigrant  roads,  66 

Emory,  Wm.  H.,  148 

Erosion,  power  of,  42 

Escalante,  86,94,  97;  crossing,  216; 
party,  98  ;  route,  100,  102,  138 

Esmeralda,  steamboat,  174 

Espejo,  Antonio,  76 

Estevan,  7,  10,  22,  23  ;  why  killed,  23 

Ethnology,  Bureau  of,  when  estab- 
lished, 382 


Explorer  Pass,  164 

Explorer,  steamboat,  155  ;  arrival  at 
Yuma,  162  ;  collision,  167  ;  dimen- 
sions, 160  ;  trial  trip,  158 


Failure  of  supplies,  second  Powell  ex- 
pedition, 265 

Fall  in  Cataract  Canyon,  60  ;  in  Marble 
and  Grand,  appendix 

False  Colorado,  Hardy's,  120 

Farnham,  Thomas  J.,  130,  201 

Fennemore,  J.,  312,  315,  316 

Field,  239 

First  Granite  Gorge,  21S,  252,  326,  361 

First  missions  at  INIoki,  94 

First   Powell  party,  191 

First  rapid,  194 

First  steamboat,  142 

First  visit  of  Europeans  to  mouth  of 
the  Colorado,  8 

Fitzpatrick,  108,  135 

Flaming  Gorge,  65,  246;  "suck"  at, 
loS 

Flatboat  on  wheels,  140 

Floods  on  the  Colorado,  48  ;  in  the 
Grand  Canyon,  344 

Font,  Padre,  88 

Font's  opinion  of  Garces,  88 

Ford,  Crossing  of  the  Fathers,  102  ; 
Escalante's,  of  Green  River,  100 

Fort,  Bridger,  146 ;  Davy  Crockett, 
64,  112,  131,  138;  Defiance,  140; 
Mohave,  170  ;  Nonsense,  67  ;  Roubi- 
doux,  138;  Yuma,  104,  140 

Fortification  Rock,  168,  297 

Fountains,  337,  339 

Francisco  de  UUoa,  7,  9 

Fremont,  134 ;  crosses  Green  River, 
138  ;  in  California,  138  ;  route,  135, 
138  ;   commends  Powell,  376 

Fremont  River,  59,  216,  311,  352 

Friar  Marcos,  7,  10,  28 

Fur  trade,  change  in,  137 


G 


Gadsden  purchase,  14S 

Gallegos,  Juan,  28 

(iarces.  Padre,  76,  86  ;  expelled  from 
Oraibe,  96  ;  return,  arrival  at  Bac, 
97  ;  on  lower  Colorado,  103  ;  mas- 
sacre of,  104 

Gass,  O.  D.,  173,  296;  monument 
erected  by,   299 

Gate  of  Lodore,  63,  251 

General  Jesup ,  steamboat,  150 


196 


Index 


General  Patterson,  schooner,  150 
Geological  Survey,  3S0 
Giant  natives,  2(_j 
Gila  monster,  71 
Gila  River,  22 

Gilbert,  G.  K.,  296;  on  Powell,  372 
Glacial  epoch,  4S 

Glen  Canyon,  179,  216,  2S7  ;  character 
of,  179  ;  highest  wall,  59  ;  length  of, 

59 
Godey,  trapper,  135 
Gold,   74 ;    discovery  of,  in  California, 

139 

Goodman,  Frank,  191  ;  departure  of, 
204 

Gore  Island,  120 

Grand  Canyon,  56,  21S,  298,  317,  325  ; 
altitude  of  foot,  56  ;  altitude  of  head, 
56  ;  average  depth,  59,  318  ;  decliv- 
ity, 326  ;  high  water  in,  48  ;  length, 
58  ;  like  inverted  mountain  range, 
40;  Pattie  along  course  of,  117  ;  rail- 
way, 343  ;  width,  59 ;  winter  tem- 
perature, 54,  appendix 

Grand  Junction,  345 

Grand  River,  100,  277  ;  character,  60  ; 
mouth,  60 

Grand  Wash,  59,  230 

Granite.  59  ;  colour  of,  59 

Grant,  General,  379 

Gray  Canyon,  207  ;  depth,  60  ;  length, 
60,  266 

Great  Basin,  50 

Great  Colorado  Valley,  164 

Greatest  declivity,  59,  appendix 

Green  River,  100  ;  City,  23S  ;  derivation 
of  name,  68  ;  Ferry,  146  ;  other 
names  for,  67  ;  profile  through  Uinta 
Mountains,  57;  "suck,"  108,  246; 
Valley,    65,  107 

Green,  trapper,  loS 

Grinnell,  Henry,  146 

Gunnison,  Captain,  60 

Gunnison  River,  98  ;  Valley  60,  207, 
266 

Guzman,  6 


H 


Hahweel,    Vuma    name    for    Colorado 

River,  90 
Hall,  Andrew,  191 
Hamblin,  93  ;    Jacob,  228,  230 
Hamel,  P.  W.,"296 
Ham's  Fork,  139 
Hance  Trail.  93 
Hansborough,  death  of,  356  ;  body  of, 

discovered,  361 
Hardy,  Lieutenant,  1 18 


Hardy  picks  up  White,  174 

Hardy's  Colorado,  120 

Harry,     Philip,    translation    of    Esca- 

lante's  diary,  97 
Hattan,  A.  J.,  240 
Havasupai,  90,  170;  Canyon,  90 
Hawkins,  Wm.  R.,  191,  379 
Hecox,  Frank,  296 

Heintzelman,  Major,  140,  143,  148,  162 
Helay  River,  114 
Hell's  Half-Mile,  256 
Henchelwood,   M.,  143 
Henry,   Andrew,  107  ;  Joseph,  234 
Henry  Cliffs,  272  ;  Mountains,  53,  313 
High  plateaus,  50,  52 
High  water,  Grand  Canyon,  48 
Highway  down  the  Gila,  32 
Hillers,  J.  K.,  239,  315 
Hobbs,  Captain,  140 
Hoffman,  W.  J.,  296 
Hook,  Theodore,  grave  of,  249 
Hooper,  Captain,  141 
Horseshoe  Canyon,  65,  194 
House  of  Montezuma,  82 
House  Rock  Spring,  305 
House  Rock  Valley,  how  named,  304 
House  ruins,  ancient,  222 
Howard's  Reach,  120 
Hovvlands,    191,   226,   2S7,   379  ;    death 

of,  230 
Hurricane  Hill,  309  ;  Ledge,  309 


Iceberg  Canyon,  298 

Illinois  College,  374 

Illinois  Industrial  University,  379 

Illinois  State  Natural  History  Society, 

375,  377 
Independence,  Camp,  140 
Inner  Gorge,  46,  59 
Inscription  Rock,  77  ;   first  date  on,  77 
Intertribal  highways,  21,  92 
Invincible,  schooner,  142 
Ireteba,  guide,  166,  169 
Island  Park,  60,  262 
Ives,  Lieutenant,  54,  151,  154,  156,  297  ; 

death  of,  168  ;  highest  point  reached, 

168 
Ives  and  Johnson  meet  and  pass,  165 


J 


Jabesua  tribe,  90 

Jaquesila  River,  93 

Javill,  Yuma  name  for  Colorado  River, 

90 
Jiminez,  Padre,  So 


Index 


39/ 


Johnson,  Captain  George  A.,  144,  150, 
154,  156,  164,  167,  297  ;  passes  Ives, 
165  ;  to  head  of  navigation,  154,  165 

Johnson,  W.  D.,  311,  315,  316 

Joint  vote  of  Congress,  379 

Jones,  S.  v.,  239 

Julien,  D.,  353 

Junction  of  Green  and  Grand  rivers, 
207,  209,  277;  altitude  of,  60;  White's 
description  of,  176 


Kaibab  Pai  Utes,  305 

Kaibab  plateau,  48,  52,  59,  92 

Kaiparowitz  plateau,  52 

Kaivavitz  tribe,  92 

Kanab,  305 

Kanab  Canyon,  46  ;  altitude  of  mouth, 
59  ;  second  Powell  expedition,  ar- 
rival at,  340  ;  Wash,  46 

Kanab  plateau,  52,  304 

Keam,  Thomas  V.,  94 

Kearney's  forces,  13S 

Kelly's  description  of  the  Green  and 
Colorado,  130 

Kendrick,  F.  C,  345 

Kenosha,  White's  home,  175 

King,  Clarence,  380 

Kingfisher  Canyon,  64,  194,  248 

Kino,  Padre,  80 ;  map,  83  ;  reaches 
mouth  of  the  Colorado,  84 

Kit  Carson,  127,  135,  175 

Kwagunt  Valley,  326 

L 

Labyrinth  Canyon,  207,  275 

Lain,  Don  Juan,  98 

Land  of  Standing  Rocks,  279 

La  Sal  Mountains,  53 

Las  Vegas  Wash,  297 

Lava  Falls,  224,  310 

Lee,    John    D.,    138,    316;    Mrs.,    the 

XVIIL,  316 
Lee's  Ferry,   102,  216,   31S  ;    river   at, 

once  frozen,  192 
Length  of  canyons,  54,  appendix 
Leroux,  Antoine,  148 
Let-downs,  249 
Letters  from  Major  Powell,  iv 
Lewis  and  Clark,  107 
Life-preservers,  222,  224;   Brown  party, 

347  ;   Stanton  party,  359 
Lignite  Canyon,  271 
Line  portage,  249 
Little  Brown's  Hole,  112 
Little  Colorado  River,  56,  78,  218,  325 
Lodore  Canyon,  62,  196  ;  Gate  of,  251  ; 

length  of,  62 


Logan,  Mount,  310 
Log  Cabin  Cliff,  270 
Loring,  F.  W.,  296,  297 
Lower  Disaster  Falls,  255 

M 

Macomb.  Captain,  170,  279 

Majoi-  Powell,  the,  launch,  368 

Maldonado,  7 

Mraige,  Captain,  82 

Mansfield,  Captain,  report,  189 

Marble, colour  of, in  MarbleCanyon,322 

Marble  Canyon,  92,  216,  292,  305,  318; 
depth  of,  58  ;  length  of,  58  ;  num- 
ber of  rapids,  325  ;  total  descent,  325; 
walls  polished,  322;  width  at  top,  323 

Maricopa  tribe,  68 

Marie,  the,  smashed,  363 

Markagunt  Plateau,  52 

Massacre  of  Craig  gang,  140 

Melting  snows,  floods  from,  54 

Mendoza,  viceroy,  g 

Meridian  raid,  Powell  in,  376 

Mesa  plateaus,  52 

Mesquite  tree,  71 

Mexican  Boundary  Survey,  147 

Mexican  league,  27 

Millecrag  Bend,  215,  2S6 

Miller,  230 

Mineral  Veins,  74 

Missionaries  lost  on  Colorado,  130 

Mission  of  St.  Catherine,  126 

Missions  on  the  Colorado,  103;  end  of. 
104 

Moab,  Mormon  town,  346 

Mocking  bird,  72 

Mohave  Canyon,  165:  Valley,  165 

Mohave  tribe,  68,  116 

Moki,  missions  at,  94 

Moki  towns,  89 

Moncada,  Captain,  104 

Montague  Island,  120 

Monterey,  87,  98;  schooner,  154,  158 

Monument  Canyon,  216,  2S7 

Moreno,  Padre,  104 

Morgan,  Lewis  H.,  3S2 

Mormon  Battalion,  138 

Mormons,  147,  272,  200;  trail  to  Moki 
towns,  304 

Moss  Agates,  245 

Mound  Canyon,  216,  2S7 

Mountain  Meadows,  13S,  139;  massa- 
cre, 316 

Mountain  sheep,  72,  264 

Mountains  of  the  Colorado  River  Basin, 

53 
Mouth  of  Colorado,  first  visit  of  Euro- 
peans to,  8 


198 


Index 


Mud  canyons,  how  protected,  44 
Music  temple,  216,  2S7,  316 

Mc 

McClellan,  Geo.  B.,  248 
McDonald  departs.  363 


N 


Nabahoes,  iiS 

Names  of  the  Colorado,  82 

Nancoweap  Valley,  326 

Narrow  Canyon,   215,   2S6  ;    depth   of, 

59  ;  length  of,  59 
Native  trails,  67 
Natural  arches,  269 
Navajo  Mountain,  53,  287 
Navajos,  range  of,  68 
Needles,  the,  165 
Newberry,  Dr.,  162,  171 
Nims  breaks  his  leg,  359 
Nine-Mile  Valley,  102 
A'o-A'iimc\  wreck  of,  19S 
Normal  University,  Illinois,  192,  377 


O 


Oatman,  massacre,  145  ;   Royse,  145 

Oatman's  Flat,  145 

Oberlin  College,  374 

Ocotillo,  71 

Ogden,  Dr.,   143 

Old  Spanish  Trail,  60,  139,  274 

Old  trails,  92,  102 

Onate,  Juan  de,  76 

Oraibi,  94 

O'Sullivan.  T.  H.,  296 

Outfit  of  Powell  expedition,  192 


Pacheco,  Bernardo  Miera  y, 
Padre  Barreneche,  104 
Padre  Diaz,  104 
Padre  Dominguez,  98 
Padre  Eisarc,  90 
Padre  Escalante,  94 
Padre  Font,  88 
Padre  Jiminez,  80 
Padre  Kino,  So 
Padre  Moreno,  104 
Padres  among  Moki,  94 
Pai  Utes,  68 
Palma,  Captain,  90 
Papago  tribe,  68 
Papagueria,  80 


Paria,  59  ;  plateau,  52,  304  ;  mouth  of, 
216 

Parks,  the,  50,  52 

Parowan,  loi 

Parry,  Dr.,  175 

Parunuweap  Canyon,  40 

Pathfinder,  the,  134 

Pattie,  James  O.,  114;  at  Black  Canyon, 
117;  on  the  Colorado,  122;  on  the 
Gila,  122  ;  death  of  father,  127  ;  nar- 
rative, 114  ;  return  home,  127  ;  route 
along  the  Grand  Canyon,  117 

Paunsagunt  plateau,  52 

Payuches,  92 

Pedro  de  Sotomayor,  recorder  of  Carde- 
nas expedition,  35 

Picture  writing,  264 

Pima,  name  for  Colorado,  90 

Pimas,  68 

Pimeria  Alta,  80 

Pine  Valley  Mountains,  53 

Pink  Cliffs,  48,  52,  305 

Pinyon  tree,  71 

Pipe  Spring,  102,  317 

Pipis  tribe,  124 

Pitahaya,  70 

Plateau  Province,  50 

Point  Hansborough,  361 

Point  Retreat,  361 

Polished  rocks,  42 

Portage,  249 

Potato  Valley,  311 

Powell,  John  Wesley,  title  of  Major,  iii ; 
letters  to  author,  iv  ;  conceives  idea, 
of  exploring  canyons  of  the  Colorado, 
184;  Report  v.,  on  White  River, 
184;  early  journeys,  1S6,  37S  ;  ances- 
try, 190  ;  first  river  expedition,  190, 
191;  funds  for,  190;  boats,  190; 
party,  191  ;  starting  point,  192  ; 
method  of  proceeding,  196  ;  story  of 
loss,  212  ;  split  in  first  river  party, 
227  ;  end  of  first  expedition,  231,  232  ; 
to  Uinkaret  Mountains,  233  ;  second 
river  expedition,  233  ;  second  sea- 
son, second  expedition,  319  ;  death, 
371  ;  character,  371  ;  birthplace,  372  ; 
date  of  birth,  372  ;  first  thoughts  on 
science,  374 ;  captain.  376 ;  loses 
arm  battle  of  Shiloh,  376  ;  at  siege 
of  Vicksburg,  376  ;  battle  of  Nash- 
ville, 376  ;  marriage,  377  ;  appointed 
director  of  Geological  Survey,  380  ; 
resignation  as  director,  382  ;  director 
Bureau  of  Ethnology,  382  ;  philo- 
sophical treatises,  385 

Powell,  Joseph,  372 

Powell,  Mrs.,  184,  213,  240,  377 

Powell,  W.  Clement,  240 


Index 


399 


Powell,  Walter  H.,  191,  379 

Prairie  Hen  River,  67 

Presidio,  82  ;  of  Tubac,  87 

Profile,  of  Colorado  River  through 
Grand  Canyon,  57  ;  of  greatest  de- 
clivities arranged  consecutively,  ap- 
pendix ;  of  Green  River  through 
Uinta  Mountains,  57 

Prospectors  wrecked,  320 

Province  of  Campanna  de  la  Cruz,  25 

Provo,  108,  112 

Puebloans,  68,  277,  287,  305 

Pueblos  of  the  Rio  Grande,  22 

Puerto  de  Bucareli,  92 

Puerto  de  la  Conversion  de  San  Pablo, 
80 

Puerto  de  la  Purisima  Concepcion,  104 

Puma,  73 

Pumpelly,  Raphael,  170 

Purchase  of  Western  Territory  by  the 
United  States,  107 

Purisima  Concepcion  Mission,  104 

Purple  Hill  Pass,  164 

Pyramid  Canyon,  169 


E.  M.,  296 

F.  C.  A.,  240;  departure 


Quicomas  tribe,  25 


R 


Railway  surveys,  148 

Railway  through  the  canyons,  345 

Rain  Cascades,  274,  276 

Rainfall,  54 

Rapids,  in  Cataract  Canyon,  60  ;  in 
Marble  Canyon,  341  ;  in  the  Grand 
Canyon,  341  ;  number,  total,  ap- 
pendix 

Rate  of  current,  361 

Ration  privilege,  234 

Rations,  army,  joint  resolution  of  Con- 
gress on,  I  go 

Rations,  for  first  Powell  expedition, 
IQO ;    for  second  Powell  expedition, 

233 
Rattlesnakes'  paradise,  71 
Recession  of  cliffs,  41 
Records    of    first    Powell    expedition, 

194  ;  second,  246 
Red   Canyon,  depth,   64  ;    length,  64, 

III.  194 
Red  Canyon  Park,  250 
Red  River,  114,  118 
Rendezvous,  the,  65,  108 
Reports  of  Geological  Survey,  381 
Ribbon  Beds,  264 
Ribera,  Juan  Maria,  98 
Richards,  death  of,  356 


Richardson, 
Richardson, 

of,  250 
Rigney,  T.  P.,  345 
Riley,  2go 

Rim,  the,  of  the  Grand  Canyon,  50 
Rio  de  los  Apostoles,  82 
Rio  de  Buena  Guia,  25 
Rio  Chama,  98 
Rio  de  los  Cosninos,  94 
Rio  Dolores,  100 
Rio  Gila,  114 

Rio  Grande  de  Buena  Esperanza,  78 
Rio  Grande  Western  Railway,  343 
Rio  Jaquesila  de  San  Pedro,  93 
Rio  de  los  Martires,  82 
Rio  del  Nombre  de  Jesus,  80 
Rio  San  Andreas,  78 
Rio  San  Buenaventura,  100 
Rio  Santa  Isabel,  100 
Rio  Santa  Maria,  78 
Rio  del  Tizon,  29 
Rio  Verde,  67 
Roaring  Rapids,  174 
Robinson,  Captain,  160,  162,  167 
Robinson,  Mr.,  trader,  131 
Robinson's  Landing,  154,  160 
Rodgers,  Captain,  173,  297 
Rolling  boulders,  279 
Rosate,  Mariano,  97 
Roubidoux,  Fort,  138 
Routes  from  the  States,  139 
Ruins,  ancient,  222,  277,  287,  305,  310, 

352 


Sage-brush,  71 

St.  Louis,  108,  no 

Salmon  trout,  74 

San  Buenaventura,  Rio,  100 

San  Diego,  87,  126 

San  Dionisio,  84 

San  Francisco,  88 

San  Francisco  Mountains,  53,  56,  92 

San  Gabriel  Mission,  88,  128 

San  Hieronimo,  28 

San    Juan,    Rio,    98;     canyon   of,  177; 

mouth  of,  216,  287,  313 
San  Pedro,  Rio  Jaquesila  de,  93 
San  Pedro   y    San    Pablo    de    Bicuner 

mission,  104 
San  Rafael,  274 
Santa  Fe,  97,  98 
Santa  Isabel,  Rio,  lOO 
Santa  Maria,  Rio,  78 
San  Xavier  del  Bac,  87 
Sea  of  Cortes,  4,  7 
Second  Granite  Gorge,  364 


400 


Index 


Second  Powell  Expedition,  380 
Sedelmair,  Jacobo,  S6 
Seedskedie  Agie,  67,  107,  120 
Settlements,    Spanish,   on   lower  Colo- 
rado, 103 
Seven  cities,  6;  of  Cibola,  10 
Shewits'  garden,  224;  plateau,  52 
Shinumo,  310;  altar,  310 
Short  rations.  Brown  party,  351 
Shoshones,  1 1 7 
Shower  Bath  Spring,  47 
Shuenas,  116 
Sierra  La  Sal,  53 
Sierra  AWaJa,  schooner,  144 
Sitgreaves,  Captain,  14S,  151 
Skeleton  found  in  Cataract  Canyon,  351 
Smith,  Buckingham,  7 
Smith,  Jedediah,  120;  characterof,  121; 

death  of,  122 
Smithsonian  Institution,  380 
Snake  River,  46 
Soap  Creek  rapid,  354 
Sockdologer  rapid,  330,  362 
Solitaire  Butte,  310 
Sonora,  87 
Sons  of  the  sun,  23 
Sotomayor,  Pedro  de.   historian  of    the 

Cardenas  expedition,  35 
Source  of  the  Colorado,  135 
South  Pass,  135:  discovery  of,  107 
Southern  Pacific  Railway,  342 
Spanish  armour,  82 
Spanish  Fork,  100 
Spanish  trail,  60,  128 
Split  in  Powell's  first  river  party,  227 
Split-Mountain  Canyon,  60,  204,  263 
Squaw-tish,  74 
Stanton,     Robert    Brewster,    44,    347; 

at  Diamond  Creek,  364;   boats,  357; 

expedition, 357;  overboard, 366;  party, 

359 
Steam  navigation,  156,  174 
Stevenson,  James,  94 
Steward,  John  F.,  240,  3IQ 
Stillwater  Canyon,  60,  276 
Sugar  found  in  Cataract  Canyon,  351 
Storage  caves,  287 
Storage  huts,  276 
Strole,  175 
Strong  natives,  29 
Sublet,  108 

Suck,  Green  River,  194 
Summit  Valley,  305 
Sumner,  J.  C,  191,  353 
Sumner's  Amphitheatre,  267 
Sumner's  diary,  vii.,  194,  251 
Sun  in  canyons,  40 
Suppais,  68 
Surveys,  consolidation  of,  380 


Sutter's  Ranch,  139 
Swifts,  72 


Tails  of  waves  in  rapids,  252 
Tarantula,  72 
Tejo,  slave  of  Guzman,  6 
Temperature  at  bottom  of  Grand  Can. 

yon  in  winter,  54 
Terrace  plateaus,  49,  52 
Thompson,  A.  H.,  212,  240,  306,  342, 

347,    371,    378.    3S0,    3S6;     trip    to 

Shewits  country,  230 
Thompson,  Mrs.,  240,  306,  318-320 
Tidal    bore,    4,    143.    158;     cause   of. 

159;  Pattie's  experience  with,  125 
Timpanogos,  100 
Tizon,  Rio  del,  29 
Tobar,  Don  Pedro  de,  32 
Topographical  features  of  Basin  of  the 

Colorado.  54 
Topography  of  river  course,  54 
Toquerville,  102 
Toroweap,  59 
Totonteac,  21 
Trails,  92  ;  across  Paria  Plateau,   102  ; 

at  Paria  River,  292  ;  from  Santa  Fe 

to  California,  12S  ;   of  bison,  107  ;   to 

Los  Angeles,  128 
Trappers,  two  classes,   114;  in  valleys 

of    Colorado    and    Columbia,     107 ; 

wrecked  on  Colorado,  130 
Trapping,  profits  of,  107 
Treaty  of  184S,  148 
Trinalcove,  276 
Triplet  Falls,  256 
Trumbull,  Mt.,  310 
Tubac,  presidio  of,  87 
Tucson,  87 

Turnbull,  Captain,  150 
Tusayan,  Cardenas  at,  22,  32,  93 


U 


Ugarte,  86 

Uinkaret  Mountains,  53  ;  plateau,  52 
Uinta  Mountains,  53,  194,  204,  245 
Uinta  River,  altitude  of  mouth,  60,  ap- 
pendix 
Ulloa,  Francisco  de,   7,  y  ;  reckoning, 

27 
Umeas  tribe,  122 
C/ficL-  Sa?n,  steamboat,  142,  150 
Undine  Springs,  274 
United  States,  expansion  of,  107 
Unknown  mountains,  311,  312 
Utah  Lake,  100 


Index 


401 


Ute  Agency,  204  ;  crossing,  298';  ford, 

216 
Utes,  68  ;  elopers,    265  ;   run   a  rapid, 

194 


Vasey's  Paradise,  323  ;  Stanton's  night 

tliere,  357 
Vasquez,  146 
Vegas  Wash,  168 

Vegetation  of  Basin  of  the  Colorado,  69 
Velocity  of  rapids,  361,  appendix 
Vermilion  Cliffs,  304 
Virgen  Mountains,  53 
Vortex  of  whirlpools,  339  ;  diameter  of, 

339 


W 


Walker,  135 

Wallapais,  68,  go 

AValls  seldom  vertical,  40 

Wasatch    Mountains,     52;    Escalante's 

crossing  of,  lOO 
"Wesleyan  College,  374 
Wesleyan  University,  192,  377 
Wheeler,  Lieut.  Geo.   M.  54,  295,  342; 
expedition,     294;    boats,    296,    297  ; 
personnel  of  party,  296  ;  new  ground 
traversed  297  ;  enters  Grand  Canyon, 
298;    reaches    Diamond    Creek,    303; 
names   of   those    reaching    Diamond 
Creek,  303;  assumption,  303 
Wheeler  Brothers,  346 
Whipple,  Lieut.,  140,  148,  151 
Whirlpool  Canyon,  203,  259  ;  length  of, 

61,  appendix 
Whirlpools,  33S;  dimensions  of,  339 
White  River,  100 


White's  story,    174;   companions,    175, 
picked  up,  174;  description  of  mouth 
of  Little  Colorado,  181;  end  of  jour- 
ney, 1S3 
Wickenburg  stage  massacre,  296 
Width    of    river,    59;   in    Wonsits    Val- 
ley, 60 ;    inner  gorge   at    Torovveap, 
59  ;  remarks  on,  appendix 
Wilcox,  Captain,  144,  162 
Williamson,  Colonel,  189 
Wind  River  Mountains,  4,  54,  135 
Wolfskin,  Wm.,  274;  trail,  128 
Wonsits  Valley,  60,  204,  264 
Wreckage,  ancient,  in  Lodore,  200 
Wreck    of    Brown    expedition   cooking 

outfit,  350 
Wreck  of  the  No-Name,  198 

X 

Xavier,  San,  del  Bac,  87 


Yabipai  Tejua,  92 

Yampa  River,  61,  202,  256 

Yant,  plant  eaten  by  Pai  Utes,  71 

Yellowstone,  118 

Young,  Ewing,  128 

Yuma,   ferry,   140  ;  name  for  Colorado 

River,  90 
Yuma,  steamboat,  142 
Yumas,  68,  120 


Zalvidar,  80 

Zamorano,  Nicolas,  14,  25 

Zufii,  94;   Mountains,  53 


The  "Wilmont,"   First. 

Gasoline  power. 

Photograph  by  R.  G.  Leoxard. 


*l«5^- 


.1 

■J 


The  "Wilmont,"  Second. 

Gasoline  power. 


I 


UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA  LIBRARY 
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NOV  2  6  1968 

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due  end  ot*"*  ^     '72 
Qoadec 


OCT 


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DEC  1 0  1976 


due  end  (A 

MAR  %^u 


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